Directed by Shane Meadows in 2006, This Is England is a strong film of acute socio-political orientation. The story of the accelerated growing up of a 12-year-old boy Sean, whose father died in a senseless war in the Falklands (the case takes place in 1983), by chance is nailed to the company of skinheads much older than him, who take him under their wing. Of course, everything is not very well, but things take an even more serious turn when another skinhead returns from the colony, gravitating towards the so-called National Front - a sharply nationalist organization. But the boy managed, despite his young age, in the end to understand what is going on, having watched on this short path of what at his age it would be better not to see. This topic in England does not lose its relevance until now, and Meadows shot everything really well and authentically. A good soundtrack, emotionally following the content of the film.
Your attention is presented a picture of the life of the English people in the eighties. Not as aristocrats drink tea and eat oatmeal for breakfast, and that is the bustle of the middle class. Domestic problems, squabbles, unfavorable living conditions are saturated with the atmosphere of the country, like an apple pie with butter. This is how you begin to perceive this world in a certain story.
Much attention is paid to the downtrodden young man named Sean, who is played by Thomas Turgus, who is unknown at the time. He is bullied by his peers for his appearance and extraordinary appearance, his mother covers him with excessive love, the absence of friends as such a priori, and all these factors lead to closure from others, and aggression acts as a defense. This happens for a while, that is, before meeting new friends who are older than him. His contribution is made by Woody (Joseph Gilgan), who can be said to have implanted Sean in his brotherly family. And here is probably just the main idea of the film, which is to turn the boy into a man, although the bustle and bustle of life in every possible way prevent it.
Another food for thought is the nationalists. At first glance, this seems to be the main message, but this statement is further refuted. Woody’s friend, nicknamed Combo, who was brilliantly implemented in reality by Stephen Graham, returns from prison and decides to show his point of view on solving problems with immigrants. His ideology, as was clear, signed from above and passed on to his friends. Sean sees in him his patron, amid worries about the loss of his father in hostilities.
What about love? It is she who shows the consequences of a lack of sincerity, flowing into a wild shed of time bombs, but with a large radius of destruction.
I share the vision of director Shane Meadows and will be sure to see the story continue in miniseries. It’s a shame that I only came across this movie after watching Mid 90. And there's clearly a connection that Jonah Hill was inspired by "This Is England" and shifted some of the story, the message and the fragmentary scenes. I liked both films, but the original source is more, perhaps because of the British charm and the more intriguing moments in the film. Watch a good movie.
A simple and rather boring and moralistic story of a 12-year-old shket, wandering into the company of skinheads, who seemed to him cool guys. But then the older guys came and it turned out that these skins are just childish and mowed under skins for fun, and the real skins are really cool peppers, that’s just very angry and with them cool only at first, and then some bullshit begins, not at all cool and not like the game. You have to stay away from them.
Shot in the style of the 80s, with deliberately poor picture quality, about what time the film tells. The style is somewhat reminiscent of 1988’s The Firm with the gorgeous Gary Oldman. Hey, KP! On your site, this film is not at all and there is no mention of it in Gary’s filmography, which clearly looks like an omission, but there is only his remake for some reason called “Gang”.
I think it’s a very overrated movie (I mean England). Perhaps it conveys the world of '83 boy England well. And yes, there's, as always, a flawless Stephen Graham, psychotic and controversial. But the institution of skinheading is not completely disclosed and it is very clear that the author just very important to say that skins are bad, they are freaks and mutants and he does it so persistently that it looks like an imposition.
In general, as a subject of cinema, the film is quite average and has more cognitive value than aesthetic.
What a magical picture and volume, impeccable atmosphere, introduction to history, music, acting, selection of clothes, the amount of film grain. In fact, 70% of the film is very enjoyable.
But ...
I don’t know if the director was forced to tilt it to the left or not, but it hurt. I am not an ardent supporter of any political views. I am a supporter of objectivity, otherwise I would like to know the arguments of both views. Recall the same American History of X, which showed both sides of the coin, the disadvantages and advantages of both sides of the barricades. Again, the whole film can be heard logical for that time arguments on the topic of nationalism (except for scenes with radicalism and obvious hooliganism), while at least some arguments against it at all, here is not a word, except for omitted glances between characters who oppose right-wing views. And as a result, a sense of some kind of metairony is created, personifying that Combo's nationalism is very justified, it is another thing that he disposes of him as an ordinary uneducated fanatical criminal, and the internationalism of other characters is exclusively emotions and a complete 0 in terms of argumentation.
Otherwise to explain why the director expressed through some characters their right views, and forced the left not to say a word, while, in the end, leading the film to the obvious left in such an unconvincing way, I can not. And the worst part is the ending. And all for the same reason. It lacks reasonable motivation, and in combination with the final act, this causes cognitive dissonance and rejection.
As a result, my curiosity logically turned to watching the series. I was hoping to find answers there. But everything turned out to be much sadder than I could even imagine. The answers I found in the face of interracial sexual relations (which are also treason), LGBT, tolerance, internationality, becoming synonymous with the word '. The director’s position became clear to me. From the old film magic picture left, by the way, and a trace, only a sterile serial number.
This film is the voice of progressive England. The voice of modern Europe and its absolute tolerance. A voice shown through past events, through times when the problem was viewed from a very different angle. This movie is just like everyone else today. The standard film of our time. There is no courage in it, where the scales are balanced on equal terms. It does not even have a well-reasoned position. And that's sad. It’s funny, though, that these are the same arguments. Symbolic.
Through Sean in the final scene, we were shown the progressive politics of the 21st century, drowning its identity, past and culture. Although pleasant, it was also sad to see the scenery of that authentic England, which will soon remain only on screens.
The plot here is retold a dozen times, the main points are transmitted.
Yes, just English cinema, after sobbing blockbusters - a breath of fresh air, I was not going to watch, but clicking on "play", I could not stop.
It's okay - costumes, vintage picture, actors. It soon becomes clear how the film will end, but I wonder how it will be done.
The motivation of some characters’ actions is not disclosed, they do so simply “because”. Well, well, timing probably didn't allow it, although that's no excuse.
The main complaint is the lack of arguments for the unacceptability of what nationalists are doing. Glavger throws the English flag into the sea, which should, as I understand it, symbolize the refusal of little Sean from the relevant ideas, simply because the leader was a complexed psycho, and not because his idea is unacceptable.
Although I admit that the goal was not to show the unacceptability of nationalism (or Nazism), but if so, then this is a separate story.
And no matter how much directorial symbolism was not in the last scene with the flag of the country, reasoning and emotions on this topic will be postponed for later.
At the center of the story is a lonely child. The burden he bears due to political games of the leaders of his country, who took his father’s life, directly controls his life. No one will tell the boy what is good or bad. It does not explain that behind bad actions there are bad consequences. He is open to any propaganda and getting on the streets in difficult times for the country, any rabid sarcastic from the doorway will be able to inspire him with “enemies” and direct him on his own selfish path, without caring about the fate of the young man.
Bad things happen first. In life there are new friends, bosom fun. Filling the former emptiness of loneliness is what was missing. And here, against the background of discord, we see an unexpected example of critical thinking in the person of the former newly minted “father”, however, who did not have the strength to convince the child that cruelty will not make up for the loss of the dearest thing in life. And our guy throws further into the world of "ignorance": where you can hit - and not get back; take - and not return; call - and consider yourself right.
But the gaining momentum "Composition to nowhere" will stop. The film will not explain why this will happen. The viewer must draw his own conclusions. You need to understand how to educate your children and what danger they are exposed without care in urban conditions. You yourself must understand what is going on inaction or the lack of your own ability to think critically, for the morality of this fable.
And the movie is pretty good. Music, camera work, acting. But this is not my genre and for this reason, I ask you to accept the words of praise, and not to look at the assessment - the film is worth conclusions after spending time.
Review N 36, or "The Anarchy of the Primary Heart"
There are many opposing forces in man. They are designed to protect him from adverse events in the outside world. And if the storm in someone's troubled soul subsides, the storm will pass without a trace. But in people the war sleeps, sleeps not too strong sleep. She will wake up at any opportunity and find a way out. And the trouble will not pass...
Plot
The viewer is shown the colorful England of the last century. It seemed that time is not quite distant, but we seem to get into another world with its unique atmosphere and original way of life. To better show the uniqueness of that past, we are introduced to a boy named Sean, his troubled everyday life. Gradually, new people appear in his life who bring not only joy but also a lot of pain.
This is a heavy drama about the life of the youth of the 80s, about animal and human relationships. It is amazing how diverse people are in their feelings. They may hate someone, but at the same time love someone. In this film, there is a fine line between completely different emotions. Heroes are constantly rushing from extreme to extreme. The balance has been shaken. And a tragedy happened. It's a movie about feelings. About the living and the present.
Characters
Sean is a boy with a sad fate. His life is just beginning, so he is most vulnerable to the brutal blows of this unjust world and is influenced by the people around him. But the boy can learn from his mistakes. And that saves him. He's human. He knows how to reason.
Combo is a man who has been touched by life. The pain left a wound in his soul. This scar very often torments the hero, so the beast wakes up in it.
Woody is a kind and smiling character. I'd do anything for a friend. But at the same time, he can hit hard. It hurts and hurts a lot.
All of them are unhappy in their own way, but have not lost the ability to feel.
Acting game
I can’t single out anyone in this film. All the images turned out bright. Actors play very realistic, do not overdo it with feelings. The viewer sees painfully familiar experiences on the screen. And I can't help it.
Result
A very vivid film about how a person grows up and becomes a person. Sean won the war with himself.
7 out of 10
The 2006 film, which won the extremely prestigious BAFTA award and the title of best British independent film (according to the British Independent Film Awards), which eventually became a cult in certain circles, at the time of its release remained largely unnoticed by a wide audience. During the creation of the picture, a huge number of ideas and ideas accumulated, which could not be implemented in the full meter and in 2009 the shooting of the mini-series began. As a result, one film and three seasons of 3-4 episodes are perceived as a large whole work, albeit with certain accents and moods in each individual work. Therefore, the review will be about this long story told over such a long time (almost ten years: the film - 2006, the last mini-season 90" - 2015).
The full meter tells the story of a young, but out-of-year, adult boy whose father, always an example and a hero to his son, recently died in the war. The boy finds friends in the company of fashionable young guys and girls, some of whom succumb to the temptation of extremely patriotic sentiments and neo-Nazism ideology, although they, of course, traditionally call themselves nationalists. The miniseries follows episodes from the lives of the same and some new characters during certain challenging periods of their lives, 86, 88 and 90, respectively. In each new season, the characters change almost radically, but very naturally, given the previous circumstances.
The film and series touch on themes of family, love, friendship, honor, forgiveness, mercy, revenge, cruelty, alienation and many others, broadly and multifacetedly revealing characters who are really very similar to real ordinary people. In the course of the story, they face very serious and truly adult problems. Less and less we are shown the fun pastime of bosom friends and an increasingly heavy burden of lived years, experience and mistakes falls on their shoulders. The story touches on a wide range of different emotions, involuntarily remember similar episodes from your life, where it is impossible to restrain smiles, where it is difficult to keep a stingy male tear.
The feature-length film and mini-series stunningly convey the mood and lifestyle of a simple working-class England of every time it touches. It is no coincidence that the story is set against the background of certain events in the UK, an era of great changes in domestic and foreign policy of the state. Unemployment, the Falklands War, a significant increase in the military power of the country despite the protests of supporters of nuclear disarmament, all this could not but affect the perception of the world and its place in it children from ordinary workers, often incomplete and inferior for various reasons families. Teenagers, and later quite adult young people, in a small town on the coast are trying to realize themselves in a world that frankly does not care about them. They try to love, be friends, protect each other and their families, do not forget about honor and dignity. And, God knows, they do what they can.
By the way, I do not want to go into politics, but the era of Margaret Thatcher, in particular, the increasing role of state power in all spheres of society and the general national mood of England at that time, still reminds me, albeit remotely, of today in a completely different country.
A special bow to the costume artists. Ridiculous, absurd, combining the incompatible, but still, you will agree, such cool and really stylish outfits described in the history of the years are striking, play in contrast with the ever gray dirty high-rise buildings, and do not leave indifferent. I especially liked the costumes of the characters in the film and in episodes 86. Here, however, I even wanted to get dusty Grinders from the top shelf of mezzanine.
It’s a great acting game, but some of them are especially worth noting. Stephen Graham, whom many know for his role as Tommy in Guy Ritchie’s film “Snatch”, gives a stunning game, revealing the character again and again, surprising and showing his facets, which were even difficult to imagine. Joseph Gilgan in the role of Woody, who, I confess, I did not like very much in “Dumpsters”, perfectly shows all the experiences and growing up of his hero, going from a rebellious teenager to a real head of his family. I will definitely be watching his acting work a little more closely now. Vicky McClure (Lol) is also great at playing a simple girl with very difficult problems.
A few words about obscene language. It sounds ubiquitous, while not used for its own sake, always looks right and gives realism to the tense dialogues of the characters. No matter what anyone says, this is what people say when they swear, take out anger or experience real, both positive and negative, impressions.
Similar Movies: Milksuckers (Skins)
English cinema does not change itself, as always prim, stylish, always with its unique atmosphere, in addition, films about the reign of Margaret Thatcher always turn out to be strong and shrill and this film is no exception.
The narrative comes from the perspective of 12-year-old Sean, a boy who lives without a father, he lives with his mother, who probably does not notice the loneliness in which her child grows out of fatigue, and having met the local gang of skinheads and joined them, neither he nor his mother think about the consequences, the film in some places seems illogical, although I think that this is due to the fact that we see everything from the child’s perspective.
The strange film seems to be nothing special, but still catches, catches the atmosphere of despair, music, senseless cruelty, perfectly conveyed by England of the 80s.
British acting school is always the highest level, always considered British actors the best and here acting work is at the top. Especially liked Stephen Graham, Thomas Turgus, Rosamund Hanson and of course Joseph Gilgan he as always the charm, the other actors played as well.
In the end, a very high-quality film, it is fair to say that it is difficult to evaluate this film as an independent creation, because for me this film is the backstory to the mini-series This is England. The year 1986 and 88, which, by the way, are great and are worth watching, and the film itself looks somewhat meaningless, but nevertheless everything in it is justified and therefore such an assessment.
8 out of 10
The English film industry has made me happy again, as always. The film conveyed the whole atmosphere of the 80s. I really liked Thomas's game. Interestingly, director Shane Meadows noticed Thomas. Perfectly selected the actor for the main role. I found just such a teenager who had problems in real life.
Thomas stood out for aggressive behavior, he grew up without a father, his mother was sick, rarely attended school, he abused fast food and sugary sodas, for several hours a day played computer games. All this led to the fact that he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The last scene is probably the most important in the film, because we understand that Sean is not like Combo, he has hope for a new life and he will not go down their path. The last scene is very strong - he throws the English flag to hell, cursing the senseless war that killed his father.
Fans of Joseph Gilgan should really like the movie. It was also very nice to see in this film Jack O’Connell is not so famous and popular, but already noticeable.
It should also be noted that there is a lot of good music in the film. The film has a great soundtrack Ludovico Einaudi - Dietro Casa.
Advise
To begin with, watching this film, I even forgot to think that this is a modern film, because the creators tried so hard that the feeling that the film was made in 1983 did not leave me throughout the viewing, even the appearance of my favorite actor – Joseph Gilgan, could not separate me from this idea. And in general, the film is not like a staged movie, it seems that someone in 1983 just filmed the lives of people around him.
It seems to me that this film was originally aimed more at the British audience, because not everyone knows the smallest details of the history of this great country. However, starting to watch it, it is not realistic to stop. He'll interest everyone. This picture contains many cognitive moments: the history of England and its politics, military actions, the culture of youth of those times, as well as psychology: the growing up of a child who was left without a father, upbringing, adolescent relationships, cruelty, nationalism.
The actors played perfectly, conveying all the emotions as required by the atmosphere of this film. It is not always possible for each of the actors in one film to feel the role, but I believe that this time everyone gave 100%, exactly the character of each character was conveyed, whether he was indifferent to everything or hot-tempered and rabid, in the end everyone turned out to be unique. Thomas Turgus, Stephen Graham and Joseph Gilgan, these are the ones who won me in particular.
Let the film is cruel, let everything be said directly, but this is the truth of life, which cannot be hidden, which the director did not do and for this thank you!
It is worth watching anyway, the picture is worth it. I’m also going to watch the TV series. This is England. The year 1986 and this is England. Year 1988".
Sean is still a young guy, gets into the company of teenagers or just hooligans, or skinheads. They are not radical hooligans: they do not catch blacks on the doorways (moreover, one in their company is such), but splash out energy, destroying abandoned houses. Everything changes when Combo comes: he is a real skinhead and leader, and this is where the adventure begins.
Combo takes over everyone, but soon it becomes clear that he is a rotten person. Over time, many turn away from him, it is a pity that not all.
Sean, a good guy, he just got in the wrong place and in the last scenes of the film he proves that this is not a lost soul. He will probably grow into a real man.
A good, high-quality film, you can see what is made with a soul and a good thought. Unfortunately, the story is not original. We’ve all seen it many times before: American History X, Skins with Russell Crowe. These films are still favorites.
The film is very good, I recommend it for viewing, even for those who have a negative attitude to skinheads, and generally do not know anything about them.
The film has a lot of thoughts:
At first, Sean meets good guys (who only look like skinheads, nothing more) and they just become his best friends. The boy began to look like a skinhead, but did not understand who the real skinheads were. Suddenly appeared Combo tells and shows the essence of this subculture.
With Combo, the film becomes what I expected it to be: a struggle for national principles.
He who is not given, will not understand what is on the soul of one who thinks about the fate of his nation and its history.
The ending spoils the opinion of skinheads, making you think of them as rabid Nazis, but it is the dramatic ending that finally makes the film great.
This movie is definitely worth watching, if only because the main role in it is given to an 11-year-old boy. Thomas Turgus played well. The film is dedicated to his mother Sharon.
The film immerses us in the atmosphere of England in the early 80s. All attributes - hairstyles, clothes, music - are taken from the skinhead subculture. But these guys can hardly be called skinheads. They live to the fullest, express themselves freely, they truly love and value freedom. They respect each other. There is no place for violence, violence or racism in their short-shaven heads. What kind of cruelty can we talk about if they take a 12-year-old boy into their company?
But then everything changes, it becomes much more serious. The emergence of a new leader makes the guys think about their choice. They have to make a choice: cross the line or stay behind it. Cruelty and racism are what drives Combo. The tension increases and at one point everything collapses. At this point, Sean realizes the seriousness of the situation.
The ending is very ambiguous. The author shows us how a very young guy makes a very important choice in life, how his worldview changed in one moment. He realized that violence and violence against other nationalities proved nothing. And he wanted to prove, to prove that his father gave his life in the Falklands War for a reason. Nothing can change, that is life. That's how I understood the movie. Everyone will decide for themselves some conclusions. This film will not leave anyone indifferent.
To begin with, this is not the first skinhead movie made in England. Each of these films makes you think about something. This Is England made me think about my childhood, how it went, what I did, and thank goodness I didn't get hurt by this movement.
The story of a young boy who recently lost his father and was joked at school. I met a pretty friendly company at first glance, he was really good with them. The boy himself made to experience all the feelings with him, perhaps due to the fact that as a child I myself loved someone to make fun of, and for this I feel guilty after watching and I would like to apologize to everyone who I caused inconvenience, that’s what the film is capable of.
The actors, although unknown, are ideal for their roles, there is no point in going deeper, you need to watch the film. Very surprised by the appearance on the screen of Stephen Graham (Big jackpot).
A movie about love. Not to the girls, but to your friends, whom you choose yourself.
“Some people say we are racists. We're not racists. We're realists. Some people call us Nazis. We're not Nazis. No, who are we? We are nationalists.
Films can be divided into two categories: movies that are interesting to watch, and movies that are interesting to remember. The first type is bright, juicy, fast. The second type is slower and narrative.
This Is England refers to the second type: cinema for thought and discussion. The story tells us about a raised brave boy who is aged beyond his years.
He is met by a group of teenagers in which there is no teenage atrocity, and is led by a wise “married” couple. Despite the paraphernalia of skinheads, there is absolutely no "fascism" in this group - just young guys who adhere to a certain style of dress. A kind of rural idyll (the town is small, more like an urban village) without violence and aggression, where the elders treat the younger as their own children, and the younger respect and love the older ones.
But then the “friend” of the wise “married” couple returns from prison. Quickly seizes the initiative, leadership and begins.
In general, the film shows all the participants of the crane kind compassionate people who want only the good and the good. And if a blatant crime is committed, it is from nervous diseases, a momentary seizure, after which the criminal immediately tries to help the victim, and repents of what he did.
It’s a film that whitewashes skinheads, showing them as kind working-class guys (not bandits with a point on the national question). Which is part of the historical truth.
My opinion: this is a film for those who are over 25 years old and want to speculate about a movie. A quiet, slow movie, watching which is interesting to make comparisons with different groups of real teenagers.
When watching a film, not that arbitrarily, but even deliberately did not want to draw any analogies with films of similar subjects. "This Is England" is more down-to-earth, with more real nationalists pursuing their exact goals, in the form of teenagers starring. Young Thomas Turguz played a great role. The British atmosphere of the film is felt from the beginning. There is no Hollywood pathos, everything happens absolutely calm and measured. Meadows does not scare any harsh reality, but only shows the viewer the story of an ordinary boy whose father made up the number of those 258 soldiers killed. What should a 12-year-old boy think, who has almost nothing but a caring mother and good memories of his father, when he suddenly has friends who defend the interests of his people, his nation? 8 out of 10 Original