Use Of Themes in British Social Realism

What is the link Between British Social Realism Films and the real world?

The link between British Social Realism films and the real world is that they take the themes which come up in everyday life which portray they mundane realism  British Social Realism portray a less fictionalized version of real life stories which appear in the news. It is very easy to find a clear link between the stories which appear in the news and the themes which occur in British Social Realist Film, for example In This Is England, all the themes which are portrayed within the opening sequence are ones which occur in everyday life which is connoted to the audience due to the fact in the opening sequence a mon

tage of real life events have been put together to create a emphasis on the atrocities which occur in real life and putting them together into a less fictional form to inform the audience of what goes on in the everyday world.

For example a theme which runs though British Social Realism Films is Drugs. A recent story in the news  of  which this theme runs into is the story of a father who killed the man he blamed for causing this sons drugs overdose death before hanging himself in the grounds of a crematorium. This this an example of the mishaps that British Social Realism Films take inspiration from. A British Social Realism Film which deals with this theme of drugs is Train spotting. 

What is unique about how themes are explored in British Social Realism films

The themes in British Social Realism are unique in the fact that they portray the realism of everyday life and not the sugar coated, glossy, nonfiction films which are used in Hollywood films. British Social Realism films create emotion and give the audience something to think about unlike Hollywood movies where the audience is passive and just take all the information in without thought. British social Realism films involve themes which acquire a lot of thought and sensitivity, which only more of a mature audience would be able to handle with as they may be themes which are not suitable for a younger audience and therefore require a more mature thinking process. The themes which are explored in British Social Realism really gives us an insight to what some peoples life's are linked and perhaps makes us reflect on our own personalities and how lucky we are to be able to explore the world when the people in these films are trapped in their life and have aspiring goals which they cannot achieve. For example in the film Fish Tank, the main character Mia aspires to be a dancer however her cycle of mundane life does not allow her to get out of the harsh reality, This film also portrays the issue of domestic violence which is a unique theme mainly shown in British Social Realism films.

Is there any themes which are essential to British Social Realist films? What are they? Why are they essential?

The themes which are mainly essential the Corruption of youth, Aspiration and Relationships. These three particular themes are the basis of most British Social Realism Films. For example with the Corruption of youth, it draws in many more themes such as: alcohol, drugs, sex, petty crime, abuse, dysfunctional families and pregnancy. The film 'Kidulthood' denotes all these themes through this one theme of the Corruption of Youth. It reflects on how the youth in Britain have become out of hand mainly due to their family situations, a poor upbringing has forced them to rebel against the world and they find it acceptable to behave in a insolent manner. This film 'Kidulthood' raises the stereotypical image that all teenagers are trouble when in fact this is not the reality.This clip here brings into account all the themes i have just explained.

Aspiration is one theme which is in almost every British Social Realism Films. The characters in British Social Realism Films show aspiration due to the poverty they are in. They wish to get out of their cycle of mundane life they are in but cannot because of their situation. Films which use the theme of aspiration draw in other themes such as poverty, unemployment  single parents, domestic violence, disability and also growing up. A film which clearly shows aspiration is 'Looking For Eric' The main character who is schizophrenic shows aspiration as he wants to be just like his favorite football player, but he can not be because of his mental disability and also the films reflects on the fact he is living a monotonous life of a post man which he cant escape from as-well as being a single parent to his sons whilst looking for the love of his life. 

Relationships is a very important theme which runs threw a lot of British Social Realism films, This one theme can draw in many more such as not being able to fit in, violence, growing up and dysfunctional families. This theme is particularly important theme as it shows the reality of how relationships are formed and maintained in the real world. An example of a British Social Realism film that denotes the theme of relationships is 'Submarine' This film clearly shows a classic example of real life relationships which are formed whilst growing up but the problems with growing up in a dysfunctional family and not being accepted in the end and being broken hearted.