Film Response - Up the Junction

In the film there are numerous strong female protagonists such as Polly, Ruby and Silvy. Although it does show the typical representation of masculinity that was thought acceptable of the time it begins to question it and this is shown through the characters and their responses. It closely looks closely at the perception of gender and class roles within society especially in the 60’s; where society was rapidly changing. The audience it appeals to is mainly young people as it follows the everyday lives of young people; it reflects their position of attaining identity. The film overall is very relatable to the audience for a variety of reasons. To audiences of the time it reflects the way young people were questioning societal roles and social norms such as attitudes to women and class. It’s stood the test of time though and can still be found relatable to today’s audiences because it follows a young woman searching for independence and finding her identity which will always be relatable to young people, and is a key part of growing up.  The main character of Polly though doesn’t come across as being incredibly realistic which does create some issues with the reliability of the film, but it does represent the idea that “the grass is always greener”. It showed a much grittier side of the Swinging 60’s as opposed to the almost airbrushed view that we get from many other films of the time. Nice representation of change through the use of a female protagonist.