Recommended by the wonderful PinHeadLarry145, thanks for suggesting this film, it was really fucking good. Probably one of the best and most interesting British dramas I've seen so far.

This film is set in 1983, in England, where a young troubled 12 year old boy named Shaun finds himself bullied constantly. He recently lost his father in the Falkland War and suffers from isolation. On his way home from school, he comes across a few skinheads. Woody, being the leader of them, introduces Shaun to the whole gang, in no time at all, they become his bestfriends, practically family. They introduce him to the life style they live; drinking, smoking, hanging around chicks, wearing Doc Martin boots, Sherman shirts and…

I have a huge fondness for coming-of-age stories and as such have been looking forward to seeing the highly acclaimed This is England. Pleasantly, the film hits all the right notes and entirely lives up to the hype. Featuring newcomer Thomas Turgoose in the performance of a life-time as the young Shaun whose troubled youth and thanks to a series of events goes down the wrong path and into a community of skinheads. Lead by the menacing Combo, brilliantly played by Stephen Graham, Shaun finds himself brainwashed and surrounded by a group of detestable characters.

The strongest aspect of This is England is arguably its authenticity and how believable the transition of Shaun is. Although always hot-tempered he initially feels…

Although This is England at times is flawed in its delivery, believability and tonality, the overall message and perception of the film was not haltered after looking back on it. Having waited a day after watching this film to review it, I notice that out of the whole film, only a few key scenes really stand out to me; those being the influence of a developing mind and how surroundings can change ones perception on society. The argument of nature versus nurture is heavily displayed as 12 year old Shaun finds himself taken down the same path that his father was; with influence and persuasion.

One of the main, and first points you are introduced to in This is England…

Really interesting film set in early 80's England around the time of racial integration/separation where reggae and ska music flourished and doc martins, number twos and bracers were all the trend. This is England is a story about fitting in, being accepted or standing up against it.

Meadows captures the period wonderfully and the lovingly invested attention to detail spent from dressing our rag tag family cast of characters to shooting around the depressed locales of under paths and graffiti'd buildings helps absorb you in the world and capture the "what it was really like" believability of 80's England rebellion of the time. Even the end credits, revealing the shot on kodak film stock, is faithful to the technology available…

I eventually crawled out from under that Shane Meadows shaped rock that I must have been under for so long, brushed the moss off, and got round to seeing "This Is England", a film that’s evaded me for so long despite numerous repeats on Film4 but largely because of rave reviews by an elderly, Daily Mail reading relative.

Racist grannies aside, I’m glad I saw this. It’s uncomfortable, awkward, tense, heart-breaking, brutal, and yet often funny. We don’t get cartoon caricatures of skinhead nazis and thugs, as we so often see on TV, but a sympathetic portrayal of disillusioned, working class people who were marginalized by Thatcher, and the lure of underground, gang culture as a response to that. If…

While watching This is England I couldn't be helped to attempt to draw comparisons with the only other skinhead film I've seen American History X. While the underline plots are similar This is England proves to be an ambitiously different movie.

Unlike X This is England projects skinheads not as one-toned hate machines but as somewhat normal people. Here we are given our young kid Shaun who finds comradery among these people. We see them through both good situations and bad and while we are to assume these guys are up to no good I felt the movie was giving me time to personally decide on the matter. Particularly one member, Combo takes Shaun under his wing, trying to be…