This is England

Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Joe Gilgun, Andrew Shim, Jo Hartley

Dir. Shane Meadows
Scr. Shane Meadows

This is England is a poignantly, powerfully told coming-of-age story set in 80s England. Based on the experiences of director/writer Shane Meadows, this film is as real and raw as cinema gets. And, yes, there is some violence. But above all, this is a story of finding your place and discovering your limits. Brilliant wee tale, well acted and nicely paced.

This is England is the story of Shaun (Turgoose), a boy on the verge of becoming a man, who has a lot to be miserable about. Picked on at school, raised by a single mum after losing his father in the Falklands War, friendless, a fashion victim – Shaun is in need of something in his life. In walks Woody (Gilgun), a local skinhead, who befriends Shaun (Doc Martins, Ben Sherman shirt, and shaven head – the works). Woody and his mates become Shaun’s extended family and all is rosy. Until, that is, Combo (Graham) is released from prison and has some new ideas for the group – namely, white pride and, along with it, an unwelcome dose of racism. Except, for the impressionable Shaun, Combo becomes something of a father figure and, well, bad stuff happens. As you might imagine.

This is England is told on a very small scale – there are less than ten people in Woody’s gang and Combo rallies only half that to attend the National Front meeting (which, itself, is attended by only a couple of dozen like-minded skinheads). Meadows use of historical footage from the time complements the antics of these few people in this small town nicely. There is an intimacy that makes the friendships and the eventual violence so much more real and poignant. At times the racist ramblings of Combo are comical – the scene when they rob the local convenience store (run by a Pakistani man who speaks much better English than Combo himself) is highly ridiculous. But the anger inside Combo is all too real and explodes with very real consequences. This juxtaposition is extremely powerful and catches the audience a little off-guard. Very clever film-making.

The acting in This is England is superb. I have to admit that I didn’t recognise any of the actors, which was perhaps a good thing – they weren’t actors to me, but simply the people they were portraying. Gilgun, as the extremely likeable Woody, is fantastic, with a wonderful turn-of-phrase. Turgoose, a non-actor (this being his first role), is absolutely perfect. I’m not sure how brilliant an actor is truly is – I suspect he was largely playing himself – but there is no question he pulled off this challenging and difficult role with skill and maturity. The real stand-out for me, however, was Graham as the explosive Combo. Not an easy role to play, Graham shows Combo to be not only a violent and angry individual, but also quite a sensitive and scarred one. How he chooses to deal with his pain may be repugnant to most, but you can’t help but feel for Combo – this is largely due to Graham’s skill and understanding of this flawed and complex character. Brilliant stuff.

I recommend This is England. It’s not without fault – it ends with an unsatisfying abruptness that was unnecessary. But it is a very raw film that will make you angry, while simultaneously pulling at your heart-strings. And that’s quite a feat. Very good British cinema indeed.

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Woody: Listen to me. He's a young lad. He's had a fucking bad week. So we bring him in wi' us to show him a bloody good time and you've just friggin back handed him roun' head. I'M DISAPPOINTED MATE!