Critique: Film> Reviews.

Being a "skinhead movie", it is inevitable that This Is England gets compared to American History X. Whereas Shane Meadows' epic portrayal of 1980s Britain isn't as much a social commentary about racism and how to overcome it as American History X is, it does at least provide the perfect mix of nostalgia, individual insecurity, and violent bigotry, making this a personal and powerful experience, best approached with your grandmother's old English hanky.

What a weird and wonderful era the 1980s was in Britain. If you're fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to remember a time when Roland Rat and Maggie Thatcher ruled our televisions, then you'll either find yourself feeling overcome with nostalgic excitement or wanting to restrain yourself from smashing the TV to a pulp when you see the film's opening montage. This sets the menacing air of the rest of the movie: At times the film is incredibly unpleasant to watch, but it never strays from the true grittiness that makes for wonderfully satisfying British cinema.

A Northern council estate is the perfect setting for a character study of twelve-year-old Shaun (played by Thomas Turgoose, in an absolutely astonishing performance). Shaun is bullied at school for his clothes and feels lost after his father returned from the Falklands war in a body bag, but is soon adopted by a group of local skinheads. Like every person in their adolescent years, he yearns for some recognition and someone to talk to, so he persuades his mother to buy him a pair of Doc Martins, lets the girls shave his head, and gracefully accepts a Fred Perry shirt just to fit in with the gang.

The characters in This Is England are so authentic that you won't even realise you're watching a documentary about '80s England and the skinhead culture. Meadows also draws an interesting conflict within the skinhead community: The gang are a bunch of relaxed individuals with an interest in the fashion and music; however, when "Combo" (Stephen Graham) invades the scene, he is seen as a vile, angry skinhead, preying on the minds of the young people around him for belief in his own misguided sentiments.

The semantics of nationalism and racism are particularly eye-opening in This Is England, which at times make even the viewer think twice. There is a particular scene where Combo and a few of his hardcore followers visit a bar, and the leader of the nationalist party gives perhaps one of the most influential speeches of the movie:

"There is a forgotten word... no, a forbidden word. That word is 'England.' I want to rescue the word 'Englishman.' People call us racists. We're not racists, we're realists. Some people call us Nazis - we're not Nazis, we're nationalists."

Shaun represents the heart of Britain, though his vulnerability is exploited by the misguiding ideologies of these aggressive "nationalists". There is a lot crammed into a hundred minutes here, and the drama is compelling throughout, especially seen as much of it portrays Meadows' own experiences. My only criticism would be the ending, which feels somewhat irresolute.

Still, with this minor point considered, This Is England is an assured and un-mistakenly-English piece of film making, which plays tribute to one of the most definitive eras of British culture.

The soundtrack's not half-bad, either.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2008.