This is England

THIS IS ENGLAND (18)
D: Shane Meadows
Optimum/Warp/FilmFour (Mark Herbert)
UK 2006
102 mins

Drama

W: Shane Meadows
DP: Danny Cohen
Ed: Chris Wyatt
Mus: Ludovico Einaudi 

Thomas Turgoose (Shaun Fields), Stephen Graham (Andrew 'Combo' Gascoigne), Jo Hartley (Cynthia Fields), Andrew Shim (Milky), Vicky McClure (Lol Jenkins), Joseph Gilgun (Woody), Rosamund Hanson (Michelle)

This Is England is amongst the best British films of the 'noughties'.
Shane Meadows' window into the early 1980's is a little nostalgic and a little unpleasant, but wholly dramatic.
A young boy from a working class background gets bullied at school following his father's death in the Falklands War. He becomes friends with a gang of older teenagers and is soon indoctrinated into a gang with National Front connections.
The film tackles a few issues, including the political landscape of the time, with the roots of racism as its main focus. 
All the characters are well-observed and believable, with solid acting from the entire cast, especially young Thomas Turgoose, who had no prior acting experience.
The film provided inspiration for three spinoff TV mini-series', set in 1986, 1988 and 1990 respectively.
8/10

This is England
This is England