Season 1: This Is England (2006)

A young boy becomes friends with a gang of skinheads. Friends soon become like family, and relationships will be pushed to the very limit.

Jess' Review

My choice this week was Shane Meadows’ hard-hitting drama, This is England (2007). Set against the 80s backdrop of working-class Britain, the story follows young Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) as he navigates the world as a bullied child trying to find his place. Turgoose is excellent in the role; scrappy and explosive, and yet incredibly sympathetic. Despite the learned-bravado, he’s just a lost, lonely kid and Meadows expertly hones in on this angle. Truly, this film is entirely focused on the loss of innocence.

The cinematography is deliberately bleak and gritty, with lingering shots of rundown estates. It’s a subtle, but expertly woven image of Shaun’s hostile living environment. There’s no fanfare here, no exaggeration that makes some tasteless parody. Everything about this world-building feels deliberate and organic.

Woody (a brilliantly charismatic Joe Giglun) leads the gang of skinheads who take young Shaun under their wing. The group divulge in acts of hooliganism, but nevertheless are impossibly likeable. The friendships are endearing and as the audience, we can’t help but root for them. I find myself beaming at scenes where the group are embracing Shaun as one of their own; a testament to the phenomenal acting chops of the entire cast.

In truth, I’d be happy were the film to end at this halfway mark with Shaun and his new friends walking off into the sunset. But oh no, here comes Stephen Graham. The second half of This is England takes a dramatic tonal shift with the introduction of Graham’s violent, racist and completely unnerving Combo. His arrival exposes the grim underbelly of counter-culture and the growing hatred festering in England at this time. Where before we had some rough-housing from the gang, we’re now met with realviolence and it’s shocking ability to corrupt.

The film jolts us out of our merry reverie, and works to make us thoroughly uncomfortable with each passing scene. Graham is incredible. So loathsome, so intimidating and yet so passionate; misguided - entirely, but also humanised in a sense that is sometimes more discomforting than his vile beliefs. Shaun looks deliberately tiny in this latter half too, where Meadows’ effectively slaps us with the reality of radicalisation and it’s impact on impressionable youths. It’s hard to watch at times and had me teary on more than one occasion.

A character study where we get to experience both the joy and frivolity of youth, as much as the confusion, pain and vulnerability; This is England also serves as a period piece exploring counter-culture, racism and protest. It’s a thoughtful, impactful film that navigates methodically through these heavy themes. A masterclass in acting and for me, an essential watch. I cannot recommend this film highly enough.

9/10

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Sam's Review

It begins with a grainy montage, footage of England’s questionable past. Though it lasts slightly too long, it sets the tone for what is to come. A gritty and intimate look into the country.

For the most part, the writing is stellar. The subtle ways that Shane Meadow’s writing and direction show Shaun’s poverty is perfect. It’s never overstated, yet somehow harsher for it. And the conversations – especially the one where Gadget is upset – brilliantly overlap.

Initially there are a few moments where the cinematography seems like a home film. Possibly down to its modest budget? But there is also a beautiful despair captured at times. And Meadows builds tension masterfully. Grainy film, a piano slowly building in the background, as distress brims in Combo’s eyes. The tension is cutting. The score is beautiful. A haunting piano led orchestra that gently rises and falls.

At first, I dislike Shaun, the 12 year old protagonist played by Thomas Turgoose. Mouthy and rude, he seems. But as you watch his pain as he struggles with being bullied, it’s difficult not to warm to him. And for a child, his range is spectacular. His pain is authentic. Then there’s the oddly alluring Woody (Joe Gilgun) whose charm is infectious. But Stephen Graham’s Combo steals the show. The character is clearly loathsome, perhaps a bit broken, but the intensity of the performance is powerful.

A character driven piece, it is a harsh reminder of the poverty-stricken swathes of England. How the government does little-to-nothing to prevent it. And that hatred sets in when people are left with nothing else. It’s powerful, but its message is diminished. For example, there is no balance to the racist rhetoric. The robbing of Sandhu’s shop is unpunished. There is no comeuppance. Perhaps there doesn’t need to be? Maybe showing the viewer the disgusting actions is enough? I would have preferred onscreen justice.

This is England doesn’t represent the country as a whole. Nor is it attempting to. What it does is pull back the veil of a certain type of England. One where poverty and hatred thrive. This is their England. And it’s tragic.

8/10