DAILY FILM DOSE: A Daily Film Appreciation and Review Blog: THIS IS ENGLAND

Monday, 10 December 2007

THIS IS ENGLAND


This is England (2007) dir. Shane Meadows
Starring: Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Joseph Gilgun, Andrew Shim

***1/2

British filmmaker Shane Meadows makes personal stories set in his hometown – the so-called Midlands of Northern England. “This is England” is appropriately titled because it’s a story how the depressed working class of England in the 80’s created racist xenophobic gang warfare in the name of English Nationalism. Meadows shows to us, with complete accuracy, what it was like to live in these depressed English towns. It was a scary place – a time of violent gangs and nihilistic hooliganism. Meadows turns this world into a scary, tough and tragic film.

Meadows sets the time and place perfectly in the opening sequence. It’s 1982 and the time of Margaret Thatcher and the Falkland Island War. A young 12 year old boy, Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), lives in a typical Northern English industrial town. With his father recently brought back deceased from the Falklands War, Shaun lives alone with his mother. He’s also a loner who’s picked on at school. At his lowest moment he is befriend by a local group of older kids – a skinhead gang led by the charismatic Woody (Joseph Gilgun). Shaun is ingratiated by the group, who take him in and give him an identity and a place where he belongs. He’s even given a skinhead uniform – Ben Sherman shirt, Doc Martin boots, and suspenders. They may be skinheads but they are far from malevolent racists that terrorized the new wave of Indian and Pakistani immigrants.

The good times come to a crashing halt when Woody’s old friend returns from prison to join the group. Combo (Stephen Graham) is a menace to society. Immediately he exerts his superiority to the group and institutes a mission of racial hatred. Combo splits the bunch, usurping Woody from leadership and ostracizing him from the group. Shaun fascinates Combo though. He’s small but passionate and feisty particularly when the Falkland War and his father are discussed. Combo takes Shaun under his wing and brings him into the violent world of Nationalist Skinhead politics. Though Shaun has found a kinship with his new friend his violent and irrational ways will soon rear its ugly head with drastic consequences.

The heart of the film is the relationship first between Shaun and Woody – which is like a big and little brother, and then Shaun’s friendship with Combo, who becomes his surrogate father. The lack of male guidance is important and even referenced in the film. Combo is a complex character. Though we don’t learn much about him we instantly recognize him as a once troubled kid, much like Shaun. Therefore the audience knows how influential and damaging Combo can be to the vulnerable youngster.

The subject of neo-Naziism has been filmed successfully three times in past 10 years – “Believer”, “Romper Stomper” and “American History X”. “This is England” is worthy of these great films because Meadows avoid all cliches of the genre. There are no lessons learned or comeuppance received from Combo. Everyone’s true colours are revealed but without the preachy sensationalism of “American History X”. The film also manages to identify the cultural differences of this particular brand of neo-Naziism to the early 1980’s area of Northern working class England. The xenophobia stems from the depressed nature of their once thriving community. With inflation and unemployment at all time highs frustration turns into hatred. This isn’t particular to England; France and the Netherlands are currently in the middle of similar racial divide. Meadows uses the distinct music of the period which influenced Skinheadism, as well as the fashion of the times. On the DVD there includes a fine essay dissecting the fashion, music and culture of this movement. The finest moment of the film is a conversation between Combo and his second generation Jamaican immigrant friend who form an unlikely bond over some good ganja. But as the conversation progresses Combo slowly turns into a vulnerable monster with psychotic tendencies.

“This is England” is a tough film to watch, but wholly satisfying and engrossing. The lesson learned for today’s generation is not necessarily racial tolerance but a political lesson for Tony Blair. With many of the country’s soldiers in Iraq stubbornly fighting a similarly questionable war, the film warns the country of the dangers of a complacent government which, without proper social infrastructure, could turn these communities into an urban racial battlground again.

Buy it here: This is England



1 comment :

Anonymous said...

豆豆聊天室 aio交友愛情館 2008真情寫真 2009真情寫真 aa片免費看 捷克論壇 微風論壇 大眾論壇 plus論壇 080視訊聊天室 情色視訊交友90739 美女交友-成人聊天室 色情小說 做愛成人圖片區 豆豆色情聊天室 080豆豆聊天室 小辣妹影音交友網 台中情人聊天室 桃園星願聊天室 高雄網友聊天室 新中台灣聊天室 中部網友聊天室 嘉義之光聊天室 基隆海岸聊天室 中壢網友聊天室 南台灣聊天室 南部聊坊聊天室 台南不夜城聊天室 南部網友聊天室 屏東網友聊天室 台南網友聊天室 屏東聊坊聊天室 雲林網友聊天室 大學生BBS聊天室 網路學院聊天室 屏東夜語聊天室 孤男寡女聊天室 一網情深聊天室 心靈饗宴聊天室 流星花園聊天室 食色男女色情聊天室 真愛宣言交友聊天室 情人皇朝聊天室 上班族成人聊天室 上班族f1影音視訊聊天室 哈雷視訊聊天室 080影音視訊聊天室 38不夜城聊天室 援交聊天室080 080哈啦聊天室 台北已婚聊天室 已婚廣場聊天室 夢幻家族聊天室 摸摸扣扣同學會聊天室 520情色聊天室 QQ成人交友聊天室 免費視訊網愛聊天室 愛情公寓免費聊天室 拉子性愛聊天室 柔情網友聊天室 哈啦影音交友網 哈啦影音視訊聊天室 櫻井莉亞三點全露寫真集 123上班族聊天室 尋夢園上班族聊天室 成人聊天室上班族 080上班族聊天室 6k聊天室 粉紅豆豆聊天室 080豆豆聊天網 新豆豆聊天室 080聊天室 免費音樂試聽 流行音樂試聽 免費aa片試看A片 免費a長片線上看 色情貼影片 免費a長片 本土成人貼圖站 大台灣情色網 台灣男人幫論壇 A圖網 嘟嘟成人電影網 火辣春夢貼圖網 情色貼圖俱樂部 台灣成人電影 絲襪美腿樂園 18美女貼圖區 柔情聊天網 707網愛聊天室聯盟 台北69色情貼圖區 38女孩情色網 台灣映像館 波波成人情色網站 美女成人貼圖區 無碼貼圖力量 色妹妹性愛貼圖區 日本女優貼圖網 日本美少女貼圖區 亞洲風暴情色貼圖網 哈啦聊天室 美少女自拍貼圖 辣妹成人情色網 台北女孩情色網 辣手貼圖情色網 AV無碼女優影片 男女情色寫真貼圖 a片天使俱樂部 萍水相逢遊戲區 平水相逢遊戲區 免費視訊交友90739 免費視訊聊天 辣妹視訊 - 影音聊天網 080視訊聊天室 日本美女肛交 美女工廠貼圖區 百分百貼圖區 亞洲成人電影情色網 台灣本土自拍貼圖網 麻辣貼圖情色網 好色客成人圖片貼圖區 711成人AV貼圖區 台灣美女貼圖區 筱萱成人論壇 咪咪情色貼圖區 momokoko同學會視訊 kk272視訊 情色文學小站 成人情色貼圖區 嘟嘟成人網 嘟嘟情人色網 - 貼圖區 免費色情a片下載 台灣情色論壇 成人影片分享 免費視訊聊天區 微風 成人 論壇 kiss文學區 taiwankiss文學區