This Is England

This Is England is a solid, insightful drama that offers a raw, intense look at the rise of neo-Nazi skinhead gangs in early 80’s England through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy.

Writer-director Shane Meadows based the film on his own experiences growing up, yet avoids coming across as preachy or self-pitying.

Instead, he shows us a world where children look to gangs to fill the void left by their absent fathers, where a sense of belonging outweighs a sense of right and wrong, where strength and power are more attractive than friendship. Without the film overtly telling us, we can see how and why the skinheads embraced the neo-Nazi movement, and more importantly, why the neo-Nazi movement embraced the skinheads.

The performances are solid throughout, but the two leads are dynamite. Thomas Turgoose’s performance as Shaun feels more natural than performed, and Stephen Graham’s terrifying, tour-de-force as Combo is miles away from his mild-mannered turn as Tommy in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch.

That said, while This Is England is powerful, it will likely resonate more with viewers on the other side of the Atlantic. For Americans, the similarly themed American History X is probably a better choice, though viewers that enjoyed either film should definitely give the other a look.