'This is England'(2007) is a British realism film directed by Shane Meadows.
In 1983 during the rain of Thatcherism, lonely Shaun a 12 year old boy who's father died in the Falklands war, lives with his mother. It's the beginning of the summer holidays. Shaun with 'I don't give a shit' attitude walks home from a fight after being slagged because he was wearing his dead dad's over sized, hand me down flairs on a non uniform school day. Shaun passes a group of teenage skinheads who befriend him and cheer his life up by transforming him into one of them. Smoking, drinking, hanging with the crowd, wearing Ben Sherman and charming the ladies, Shaun has turned into a 'new man'.
An old friend of the teenage skinhead's appears freshly out of jail, nationalist hard man 'Combo.' Having had a fatherless, painful upbringing and has been mistreated by black people for several years in jail, he is as bitter as ever. Combo makes a grilling impression on the teenager's, (who happen to have a black member), shouting and swearing about his radical and political views. Combo splits the gang in two by drawing a line for proclaiming who will be with him and who will not. Angry and naive Shaun stays with Combo and waves most of his friends bye, bye.
Shaun and Combo having bonded on their first encounter of each other become closer. Combo leads 12 year old Shaun to the radical ways of extreme nationalism. They fly the English flag, rob Pakistanis, graffiti underpasses which state racist remarks, threat black people and just cause general machete swinging havoc.
Combo goes too far, he kicks and punches one of Shaun's old friends half to death after touching on a sensitive subject. Shaun decides whether or not this racist life is for him.
This is England is very confrontational. It had me laughing one minute and then made me 'rub my eyes the next'. Fantastic film which plucks emotional strings. I'm not going to lie it was a depressing film almost a little too much especially toward the 2ND half of the film.
Adding to the realism of the film is 13 year old then (2006), Thomas Turgoose (Shaun) who provides a believable and real performance, I was drawn into his character. He had the natural hurt but tough look that fitted perfectly.
Stephen Graham (Combo) I was completely immersed in his character, I can't think who else could of delivered that performance. Out of the few of the films I have seen him in, this performance tops it. Could possibly be the performance of his life time, certainly award worthy.
Brilliant performances. Good story. But possibly overly depressing.
