This Is England Review
This is England is a 2006 film about a boy growing up in a deprived area of England during the thatcher reign of the early 1980?s. He lives with his Mother and gets bullied at school, whilst heading back home after another tough day he meets a new set of friends. As you might expect from a Shane Meadows film, the narrative is interesting and you soon get a real grip on the story, the characters are all engaging and well cast but most of all balanced. We see the films main protagonist Shaun played by Thomas Turgoose join a local skinhead gang in a poor area of 80?s England. The main target audience are adults because of the 18+ rating the film received because it features violence, drug abuse and racism however this does not detract from the experience. Those who lived through the 80?s will certainly enjoy this film as shows popular culture, themes and historical events from the day however younger people will still enjoy the films as it shows how society?s opinions has changed over the past few decades.
The camera work is what you would expect from a modern film, a nice touch are the clips of famous events and pop bands, most notably are the ones of the British Falklands Campaign. Shaun's dad had died in the war which is probably the most important piece of back story in the film, as teenage confusion, peer pressure and a wanting to be part of a gang, mixed with sadness and remorse are probably the primary reasons for Shaun to become a skinhead, a popular culture that grew from Punk. After befriending some local skinheads on his way back home from school, he starts meeting them regularly and becomes more and more influenced by them. Yet things turn sour when older skinhead combo returns from his spell at prison with a new "friend". Combo is a lot more violent than the other skinheads and takes a angry and sad Shaun under his wing. It is then that events take a turn for the worse when Shaun starts to take part in a series of racist violent attacks. At a house party the skinhead gang along with Shaun's "new romantic" girlfriend Smell, Combo buys some cannabis off the only black member of the gang milky, the gang smoke the cannabis. Combo and Milky initially bond but suddenly combo snaps and assaults Milky, Combo's friend holds down Shaun who is very fond of Milky while he protests against Combo. Combo then realises what he has done and insists the demented and sobbing Shaun take Milky to the hospital with him, it is unclear what happens to Milky at the end of the film. At the end of the film we see Shaun by the sea as he throws a St. George's flag combo had given him earlier into the waves.
I especially like This is England as I have not seen another film like it, I love the way that even though you only meet many characters briefly you feel like you know everything about them.The historical setting and the influence it has on the characters, especially the Falklands, Margaret Thatcher and mass unemployment are shown through the opinions they have on society such as immigration. The characters are all well cast and deep and the story and events fit nicely together. I could not pick a favourite part as they are all as interesting and important as the next, however the racist and violent scenes are excruciating to watch but only because they are so well done you really feel what's happening on screen. It's an amazing film and I definitely recommend watching it and cannot wait for the Channel 4 spin off coming later this year.
This is England is a 2006 film about a boy growing up in a deprived area of England during the thatcher reign of the early 1980?s. He lives with his Mother and gets bullied at school, whilst heading back home after another tough day he meets a new set of friends. As you might expect from a Shane Meadows film, the narrative is interesting and you soon get a real grip on the story, the characters are all engaging and well cast but most of all balanced. We see the films main protagonist Shaun played by Thomas Turgoose join a local skinhead gang in a poor area of 80?s England. The main target audience are adults because of the 18+ rating the film received because it features violence, drug abuse and racism however this does not detract from the experience. Those who lived through the 80?s will certainly enjoy this film as shows popular culture, themes and historical events from the day however younger people will still enjoy the films as it shows how society?s opinions has changed over the past few decades.
The camera work is what you would expect from a modern film, a nice touch are the clips of famous events and pop bands, most notably are the ones of the British Falklands Campaign. Shaun's dad had died in the war which is probably the most important piece of back story in the film, as teenage confusion, peer pressure and a wanting to be part of a gang, mixed with sadness and remorse are probably the primary reasons for Shaun to become a skinhead, a popular culture that grew from Punk. After befriending some local skinheads on his way back home from school, he starts meeting them regularly and becomes more and more influenced by them. Yet things turn sour when older skinhead combo returns from his spell at prison with a new "friend". Combo is a lot more violent than the other skinheads and takes a angry and sad Shaun under his wing. It is then that events take a turn for the worse when Shaun starts to take part in a series of racist violent attacks. At a house party the skinhead gang along with Shaun's "new romantic" girlfriend Smell, Combo buys some cannabis off the only black member of the gang milky, the gang smoke the cannabis. Combo and Milky initially bond but suddenly combo snaps and assaults Milky, Combo's friend holds down Shaun who is very fond of Milky while he protests against Combo. Combo then realises what he has done and insists the demented and sobbing Shaun take Milky to the hospital with him, it is unclear what happens to Milky at the end of the film. At the end of the film we see Shaun by the sea as he throws a St. George's flag combo had given him earlier into the waves.
I especially like This is England as I have not seen another film like it, I love the way that even though you only meet many characters briefly you feel like you know everything about them.The historical setting and the influence it has on the characters, especially the Falklands, Margaret Thatcher and mass unemployment are shown through the opinions they have on society such as immigration. The characters are all well cast and deep and the story and events fit nicely together. I could not pick a favourite part as they are all as interesting and important as the next, however the racist and violent scenes are excruciating to watch but only because they are so well done you really feel what's happening on screen. It's an amazing film and I definitely recommend watching it and cannot wait for the Channel 4 spin off coming later this year.
