Use of Themes in British Social Realism

WHAT IS THE LINK BETWEEN BRITISH SOCIAL REALISM THEMES AND THE REAL WORLD?

In British Social Realism films we see themes that are represented in the world being presented to the audiences. There are many themes such as drugs, violence, alcohol, poverty and many more that allow audiences from all over the world (particularly marketed at a British niche audience) to be enlightened on what is currently happening in the world of Britain today. BSR films such as 'This Is England (2006)' help to present what is happening by using scenarios such as asian shop keepers being intruded by a gang of white people that steal and threaten to kill in order to get what they want. This massively links to the real world as this has appeared in the news many times. For example, according to the 'ormskirk' website, two masked and white criminals had entered a corner shop and threatened a member of staff whilst attempting to open a cash register. This is particularly relatable to the subject expressed in the BSR film already mentioned as both scenarios connote racist attacks on corner shop owners in a British environment.

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT HOW THEMES ARE EXPLORED IN BRITISH SOCIAL REALISM FILMS?



In BSR films the unique selling point for them occurs with their courage to explore serious issues. There are many films that contain comments and themes that a typical global mainstream audience would disagree with, such as in "Nil By Mouth (1997)" there is a scene where a woman is physically abused by her problematic husband. This film deals with themes such as domestic abuse which is not something that is typically seen in a Hollywood film. Even in films such as "SAW 6 (2008)" where there are many murders and torturous scenes occurring, these occasions are not treated as seriously and are brushed away as if it is a casual topic. Hollywood tend to treat issues like abuse less severely. With BSR films the affect that the situation has on the characters is connoted through much detail; whether this is through mise-en-scene showing sadness or the sound denoting anger, these movies explore their  chosen crucial themes with the realistic respect it actually receives.

ARE THERE ANY THEMES WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL TO BSR FILMS? WHAT ARE THEY? WHY ARE THEY ESSENTIAL?

With British Social Realist films there are many themes that are essential to them in order to represent the true identity of the world of Britain today. These themes include violence, swearing, discrimination and the use of drugs. I would say that these are essential as these are the most common themes that occur in a typical British society today. For example, it is very rare for a film whom has an aim of representing a true image of Britain yet would not include characters that swear, smoke/take drugs, discriminate or show any forms of violence. A great example of this is the BSR film titled "Kidulthood (2006)". This film depicts the daily life of a group of 15 year olds growing up in West London. Anyone who has experienced life in West London and would want to portray what the struggles of the region is like would not exactly describe their characters as 'posh'. The struggling side of this area tends to be full of people who fight, swear, steal, smoke and discriminate, so someone that is willing to have a BSR film to present life in this area would most likely not miss these themes out as they are very vital in order to create the real representation. Other themes like child/domestic abuse are quite serious and common, but when compared to things that are used so casually in BSR films (such as swearing and violence), they are not seen as much in today's society.