Social Realism is a film genre which focuses on giving the audience a true indication of what life is like in the working-class society as a means to critique the power structure behind these conditions. Social realism films depict the social, political and economic injustices’ that influence and impact people in society.
The first director that works directly within the Social Realism genre is Ken Loach. Loach was born in 1936 in Nuneaton. He went on to study law at Oxford. After a brief spell in the theatre, Loach was signed up by the BBC in 1963 as a television director. This launched a long career directing films for TV and the cinema, from Cathy Come Home (1966) and Kes (1969) in the sixties to Land and Freedom (1995), The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006) and I, Daniel Blake (2016). Loach infamously directed a McDonald's commercial in 1990, at a point where his career was at a low point, and he was struggling financially. But other than that, as a filmmaker, he has been unflinching as a thorn in the establishment's side and has maintained an uncompromising interest in the socially and economically marginalised. A personal tragedy in 1971, through which he lost his 5-year-old son, resulted in a long period of inactivity and a loss of confidence. In the 1980s, his career floundered. His films were deemed too radical and kept getting banned. In 1990, his film Hidden Agenda about Northern Ireland terrorism heralded his comeback, although naturally, it caused political turmoil. His films have regularly found more success abroad than in Britain, which allows him to secure funding consistently for his projects.
Another film director that works directly in the Social Realism genre is Mike Leigh, he is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. Leigh's most notable works include the black comedy-drama Naked (1993), for which he won the Best Director Award at Cannes, the Oscar-nominated, BAFTA- and Palme d'Or-winning drama Secrets & Lies (1996), the Golden Lion-winning working-class drama Vera Drake (2004), and the Palme d'Or-nominated biopic Mr. Turner (2014). He won great success with American audiences with the female led films, such as Vera Drake (2004) starring Imelda Staunton. Leigh begins his projects without a script but starts from a basic premise that is developed through improvisation by the actors. Leigh initially works one-to-one with each actor, developing a character who is based, in the first place, on someone he or she knows. The critical scenes in the eventual story are performed and recorded in full-costumed, real-time improvisations where the actors encounter for the first-time new characters, events or information which may dramatically affect their characters' lives. Final filming is more traditional as definite sense of story, action and dialogue is then in place. The director reminds the cast of material from the improvisations that he hopes to capture on film.
When the genre of Social Realism first began, it often depicted working class characters living through a struggle and generally exhibit them as a protagonist. Often, the directors of social realistic films wanted to depict a type of social injustice, such as: economic hardship, discrimination or political injustice. In Ken Loach's Kes (1969), the story follows Billy Casper who comes from dysfunctional working-class family and is a no-hoper at school but discovers his own private means of fulfilment when he adopts a fledgling kestrel and proceeds to train it in the art of falconry. Loach's motivations for this film were to show that even those who come from troubled backgrounds, or less privileged backgrounds, can still achieve great things.
Taking a turn from the original genre of Social Realism, todays films within the genre focus on modern problems such as drugs, money, prostitution and gangs are quite common, as well as religion, class-warfare and political views. Furthermore, Social Realism as a genre has developed a lot in other places other than its themes since it first started. Examples of this are it does not just deal with British stoicism but also characters’ emotions; It has also incorporated more feel-good elements since the 90s.
A much more modern Social Realism film includes Bullet Boy. Bullet Boy was written and directed by Saul Dibb (as a first-time director) in 2006 who then unusually went on to direct the high production value historical drama The Duchess two years later. The narrative focuses on gun and gang crime in Hackney, east London and stars the So Solid Crew from south London and explores multiculturalism as a key narrative theme, violence and the idea and effect of ‘learnt violence’ within an urban setting. Bullet Boy is a gripping and authentic drama that takes an unflinching look at two troubled, street-smart boys. Fresh out of jail, 18-year-old Ricky and his 12-year-old brother, Curtis, struggle to walk the straight and narrow when a minor street clash escalates into an all-out neighbourhood war.
Stereotypically, institutional factors that create pure contemporary social realism include low production values, limited distribution and often are made with the assistance of Film4 and the UK Film Council (now the BFI) e.g. This is England (2006) and Looking for Eric (2009). Shifty (2008) was made with the assistance of the Film London Microwave Scheme where the filmmakers agreed to keep the production costs under £100,000. This scheme still exists with the increased budget of £120,000. Social realism tends to attract younger, up and coming directors and often is distributed by small independent distributors like Optimum, Metrodome, Artificial Eye and Momentum.
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