The Conventions of Gritty Realism

Gritty Realisms look as if you are having an insight in to a usual person’s life. They are usually based within a non wealthy estate in an urban area. The people who feature in it aren’t upper class people they are usually people who don’t have the best upbringing in to life. Gritty realisms have high levels of verisimilitude which makes the viewer feel a part of the composure. The main reason for the existence of a gritty realism is to inform people on real life situations that they wouldn’t usually witness. This makes the personal purpose of the film surveillance. This is where the viewer simply feels informed and knowing what’s happened. Also it makes the personal purpose of personal identity. We can identify with these character which are presented. It helps people see themselves in others which can help them confirm what sort of person they are.  The audience this targets are classed as reformers. These people want to make the world a better place. These people are usually in professions such as teaching and medicine. This small group are usually eco-friendly.  Despite being a small group of consumers, they have an influential voice with manufacturers.

With gritty realisms there is no stock narrative sequence to it. The narrative isn’t anything that you would expect. They are unpredictable and create enigma codes from the start and throughout. These are mostly what is going to happen next? This non predictability goes against most stories in films. Todorov identified a three part structure that happens in most stores. It goes as follows, the equilibrium, the disequilibrium and finally the resolution. A gritty realism doesn’t have this. They are just looking in to a life of a person. In reality there are no hero’s or heroines. We have to sort problems out for ourselves and they aren’t usually problems which will turn our life around completely. Gritty realisms usually have a multiple storyline because it follows more than one character. This gives an insight in to everyone’s thoughts and feelings in a film. This makes us feel involved with all of the characters within it. These films are appealing in the sense that they can give you characters to identify with. This can make a person feel sympathy for the characters involved. The main Archetypal Myth that gritty realism complies with is Candide. The characters in these films don’t really ever seem happy they only seem to be surviving through life as they go. 
Examples of gritty realisms include; Bullet Boy (2004), Life is Sweet (1991), Beautiful Thing (1996), Kes (1969) and This is England (2006).

I watched Bullet Boy it was about a young man called Ricky who had just got out of jail. He came from a rough background filled with crime and he didn’t want to get back in to it. However, despite his efforts he became wrapped up in this life again and wanted to escape. Unfortunately it with his death. It not only follows the story of Ricky, it follow the story of his younger brother Curtis. They both were growing up in east London in a volatile neighbourhood. Ricky wanted no trouble but because of his associates he got in to it. He is a character who is loyal to his friends, however fairly disrespectful to his mother. His brother Curtis seems to be an innocent character but because of his brother seems to familiarised with crime. He is able to carry a gun without feeling absolutely terrified. This shows the contextual impact that their background had on his life.


I feel that there is a message to the story. I feel it is to urge people to avoid crime and to concentrate on better things. This is because it shows the sad consequences that crime has on many people’s lives. I feel that there is another message also saying, yes, this actually happens. It shows people who wouldn’t usually be exposed to this lifestyle an insight on to what is sadly a reality in some people’s lives. I wouldn’t usually watch a film like this and therefore I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would enjoy another genre. However, I did like how personal the film was. You never really get a lot of films where you feel a connection with the characters. I felt this because whilst watching it I realised that it was telling a story that does go on in the real world.



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