This is a powerful film. The skinhead culture has been present in England for many years and Shane Meadows pulls no punches in showing the audience what made some adopt the white supremacist movement as their own. A film like this could only be made in England and Meadows shows a keen understanding of the feelings and beliefs that have lead so many to lead lives of hate in the name of their country. Many will no doubt draw comparisons to American History X and while they do have some similar themes, This Is England is a much rawer experience which forgoes much of the histrionics of its American counterpart in favor of a subtler, more observational approach.
This Is England is the story of a 12 year old named Sean who is struggling to fit in after moving to a new town. He comes to find acceptance and make friends with a gang of local skinheads only a few years older than he. They are a harmless bunch whose interest extends only as far as Jamaican culture. However, the meaning of being a skinhead begins to change when Combo, a charismatic and volatile "original skinhead" is released from prison. Sean falls under his spell and embarks down a dark path where there can be no happy endings. Meadows' deliberately raw method of film making perfectly suits the story and each actor completely inhabits their role. This is the second of Shane Meadows' films I have seen, along with Dead Man's Shoes, and I continue to be impressed by his steady hand and vision, which never wavers, no matter how intense the subject matter. He is definitely one of the rising stars of English cinema and I hope that he one day gains the same recognition on the other side of the pond.
While the subject matter might make some uneasy, there is no denying that This Is England is a powerful and poignant look at a seedy side of English culture which is usually far from the limelight. I applaud Meadows for not backing down and making the film his way while taking a hard look at the National Front and the white supremacist movement which eventually adopted the skinhead look as its own. The result is a thoughtful and emotional look at one boy's journey into manhood, along with the hard choices that come with it. 4 out of 5 stars.
I agree, the film was well done. I liked the contrast between the posers and the hard-core. It's an interesting look at prejudice and nationalism. Since both tend to flourish during hard times we're bound to see an increase, more's the pity.
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