Social Realism

Social Realism presented in films is the representation of British society within the last century. Recently, many British films have been based on the genre of social realism because it is recognizable by us, their target audience. Although we enjoy our big Hollywood blockbusters, it's interesting to see the actors we know living lifestyles similar to ours on our TV screens, experiencing what we do..in places we live close to. It portrays a variety of discrimination we see today, the social, sexual and racial issues that have developed in the 21st century as well as financial hardship or family lives we live as heroic - and beneath all the violence and suffering we see, we are eventually revealed a sensitivity toward these characters and story lines.

Conventions of a Social Realism film may include:
- Realistic settings/Urban locations - London, Manchester, Birmingham etc. Places we're reasonably familiar with in Britain.
- Realistic events and situations - we may not all experience what we see in Social realist films, e.g. This is England and Fish Tank - but we read about them and hear about them just as much!
- Believable filming technique - Rather than being filmed like the blockbuster films we see, they're more personal and natural - possibly to create the impression as if we're there ourselves.
- Hard luck/21st century villains - We witness several characters misfortune and deprivation, which molds them into the villain of the film, though when the story develops we often find ourselves sympathizing.
- Economic hardship - There is often a financial deprivation in these films, a single mother, a family on benefits struggling to provide for their family and trying to stay together.

Films and programs that are based on Social Realism:
- Waterloo Road
- This is England
- Sweet Sixteen
- Billy Elliot
- Ratcatcher
- The Boys
- The Plague

Below is a trailer for a couple of Social Realism films:

This is England


Billy Elliot