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Britain was experiencing a dramatic shift in political, social and economic policy towards the ‘neoliberal’ framework engineered by Margaret Thatcher and her US contemporary, Ronald Reagan. The 80’s are widely recognised as a controversial and important period of British (and global) history. The film is set during the 1984-85 coal miner’s strike in Britain. Themes of the film are discussed in greater detail below, but you should remember to link them back to these rubric-centred ideas. Relationships between emotional experiences, political conflicts, artistic expression and even experiences of the human body itself can be discussed. Consider the experiences of the miners, who spend the entire film rioting – in both foreground and background – yet who ultimately gain nothing. Often these experiences have to do with change – many of the characters are in important periods of transition in their life – but experiences of consistency or even inertia are also relevant. With respect to Billy Elliot, you will need to examine the various experiences that each of the characters face, and how these speak to broader human experiences that the audience can connect with.

Furthermore, your response must always consider how language and form (so in this case, the ‘language’ of cinema) is used to convey these notions or to manipulate the audience’s experience of the text. Note how the syllabus emphasises an analysis of the emotions attached to human experiences, the paradoxes of human behaviour and the role of storytelling. You can access the syllabus description here. You should always pay close attention to the rubric for any module, and this is no different. This study guide is structured as follows: The key to Billy Elliot is understanding how challenging ideas about the human experience – new perspectives and arguments about how we should live our lives – are delivered in sympathetic and even comedic ways. The themes of the film may be more commonplace and well known in todays world, but in the context of the film’s creation they were cutting edge and, to some, provocative.