Social and Political Issues in Billy Elliot
In Billy Elliot there are a number of social and political issues that are referenced. Although this is a fictional story, the strikes are based on the real events of 1984. The film also takes on key social issues such as sexuality and individualism.
The major political issue of Billy Elliot is the miners strike which took place in Britain in 1984. The government, under Margaret Thatcher, looked to close many of the country's coal mines and pits in order to save money. They found that it was costing more to operate the mines than the coal was actually worth. When the miners found out the plans, many of them decided to strike. Despite the protests starting peacefully, they soon descended into violence and police were sent to the towns where the mines were based. We see this in Billy Elliot whenever Billy goes outside. In the background of most outdoor shots we see riot police. We also se a lot of parallel editing between Billy's dancing and his dad and brother protesting. Another issue brought up by these strikes is poverty. We see several examples of the poverty and hardship that the Elliot family face during the film such as the burning of the mother's piano for heat and the dad's comments of how he is 'working his arse off for those 50 pences.'
The biggest issues that this film addresses are the social issues of sexuality, individuality and stereotyping. All three issues tend to be addressed at the same time in Billy Elliot and are all focused around Billy and his best friend Michael. In the 1980s boys were expected to be very masculine especially in the area where the film was set. Sports such as football and boxing were considered past times that boys should enjoy so when Billy decided to quit boxing for ballet he was considered homosexual. His brother and father did not support him because they were worried about what people thought of him as dance was stereotypically a women's past time. However the fathers opinion started to change when he saw how much passion Billy put into his dance. The father then became fully supportive after taking his son to London for auditions and he saw how many men did ballet and that it was actually something for everyone. In contrast Billy's best friend Michael was considered normal despite being gay himself. Michael tended to hide his feelings because he was afraid of the backlash. He did however confide in Billy albeit very subtly until towards the end when he decided to kiss him. Billy's reaction was unexpected as he was supportive of his friend despitenot feeling the same.