Threads

In this episode of Dystopian Fiction Has Been Moved to Current Affairs, Clare and Masha are discussing the incredible yet harrowing 1984 film, Threads, a graphic depiction of the aftermath of nuclear attack, set in Sheffield (where Masha lives!).

Content warning: violence and sexual violence; still-birth

In this episode we discuss the impacts of nuclear attack on infrastructure and human bodies, along with the history of nuclear weapons. We look at the documentary style of the film, and its human-eye view, as well as the realism and horror that the film-makers managed to achieve.

We look at the humanizing of the experience of disaster through the story of Jimmy and Ruth, and how they are representative of real people in the world today and their disenfranchisement from global affairs. At the same time, we consider the role of governments including the use of gaslighting, the failure of government and law and order in such a catastrophic situation, and the ultimate breakdown of society.

We compare Threads with the extraordinary graphic novel When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs, the contemporary impact of the film, and its relevance today when the Doomsday Clock stands at 90 seconds to midnight.

Within the few days between us recording this episode and posting it, we can also report that the Traffic Warden has been found, so our public service announcement is sadly redundant!

We reference a number of articles, books, and interviews offering commentary on the film, and you can find these here:

Discover the post-apocalyptic nightmare of this landmark social drama

How we made the nuclear apocalypse TV drama Threads | Culture | The Guardian

Threads served up a bleakly British depiction of our impending nuclear doom

Threads – remembering an influential moment in that 1984 film

Here come the bombs: the making of Threads, the nuclear war film that shocked a generation

Toni A Perrine (1998) Film and the Nuclear Age: Representing Cultural Anxiety

Dorian Lynskey (2024) Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World