FEATURE: Beautiful Thing @ Woolwich Works

Part of Pride Month at Woolwich Works, Beanfest celebrated the 30th anniversary of Beautiful Thing.

Filmed in the late 90s, Beautiful Thing explores the relationship between two friends, Jamie and Ste, as they navigate their sexuality in an era where homosexuality was still frowned upon by some.

Whilst this coming-of-age and coming-out film looks at accepting your own sexuality, it also raises how environment shapes a child’s perception of themselves. Sandra wants to do better for herself and her son, not passing on her own childhood traumas. Ste’s dad, on the other hand, is single, alcoholic and abusive, with no intention of doing better. So much so that Ste’s brother is a drug dealer and just as abusive. Whilst this film has a positive message about sexuality and self-acceptance, it also deals with the reality that it is hard to accept who you are in an environment that is not accepting. Writer Jonathan Harvey and director Hettie MacDonald balance this beautifully with plenty of comedic moments, allowing the message to come through.

Even though the film is 30 years old, its overall messages are still relevant in 2026. Whilst there are a lot of single dads doing better than their dads, it is still very much a social expectation that bringing up kids is a woman’s role. As someone who grew up in the 90s, watching this film for the first time, it is interesting to see how some societal beliefs remain deeply ingrained. I absolutely remember some of the things kids would call each other and how flippant they were if you did something slightly unusual, and how you didn’t want to be called certain things. Whilst there are parts of the world where homosexuality is illegal and LGBTQ people don’t have equal rights, we as humans are far more aware of the connotations of words and the impact they can have.

Beautiful Thing still holds up in 2026, not only because it is an all-round good film, but because it is nostalgic, featuring Linda Henry from Bad Girls, Tameka Empson from EastEnders, Jeillo Edwards from Spaced and Black Books, and Beth Goddard from Drop the Dead Donkey, A Touch of Frost and Gimme, Gimme, Gimme.

The venue was great: a massive industrial building with the film shown upstairs. Limited tables with LED lights and seating made the screening feel intimate, with a real sense of community that added to the experience of watching the film.