Blue Has No Borders review hunt for British identity in British seaside town maps the national psyche

"Director Jessi Gutch shadows seven Folkestonians, the better to map the faultlines in the national psyche: Syrian exile Heba, not quite as fully integrated into UK culture as her younger brother and sister; barber and Only Fools and Horses proselytiser Nathan, who holds a torch for the British working class; black artist Josie, whose work explores the relationship between land and identity; Dan, the son of a fisher who as drag performer Dita advocates for gay rights;"

"fishers Alan and John, now forced for lack of catch to chaperone cross-Channel swimmers; and gnomic Brexiter Neil, who says, We live on an island and we're allowed to have a mentality. Whether that's an island mentality, I don't know. Gutch hopes for a United Kingdom able to embrace the other, and finds Brexitland to not yet be a lost cause. Nathan finds unlikely converts to the cult of Del Boy in a pair of Serbian tourists."

Jessi Gutch follows seven Folkestone residents to map faultlines in national identity. The subjects include Syrian exile Heba; barber Nathan, champion of the British working class; black artist Josie; drag performer Dan (Dita); fishers Alan and John; and Brexiter Neil. Nearly every subject voices concerns about invisibility, feeling overlooked, neglected or misunderstood. Scenes show cultural interactions: Nathan charms Serbian tourists with Only Fools and Horses; Dan's father attends a drag show; Neil does outreach with Iraqi asylum seekers. Gutch admits omissions and captures moments of condescension, producing liberal platitudes rather than deep analysis, while vividly filming the Channel's grey veil.

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