This is England

UK 2006, 101 minutes
Dir. Shane Meadows
English
Genres: Drama / Youth

Topics: Period 1980s, Rites-of-passage.

Feat. Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Jo Hartley, Andrew Shim

Aroview: Utterly authentic, hard-hitting memoir from the dir. of A ROOM FOR ROMEO BRASS, about a boy’s coming-of-age as a skinhead during Thather's England in the 1980s.

Near perfect as a time capsule of subculture and political unrest (the Falklands War its point of contention), Meadows’ film admirably engages in preconceptions – that all skinheads are racists – through a lively ska and reggae soundtrack, along with the introduction of an endearing clique of characters (one, of Jamaican descent) who adopt the uniform as a style rather than a statement. Charged with a familiar volatility – the introduction of a psychotic white nationalist (Graham) shifts the film tonally as its midpoint – this is also especially compelling for Turgoose’s naturalistic performance as the impressionable young lad indoctrinated into skinhead ranks.

Member Reviews

Average rating (Very Good). Showing 1-1 of 1 member reviews.

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4 stars (Very Good) A lonely 12-year old Shaun, who lives with his mum (his dad killed in the Falklands War) is befriended by a gang of local skinheads. The leader, Combo, becomes an older brother figure who couldn't be a worse influence. It's both charming and disturbing. ~GenXGirl