This is England (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'This is England' is a semi-autobiographical drama written & directed by Shane Meadows. England, Summer of '83: The age of Rubik's cubes, punk rock, Charles & Diana's wedding, aerobics, Margaret Thatcher's reign, and skinheads. Down around Argentina, the Falklands War was raging. The unemployment rate in England was sky high. And people were fed up with growing minorities, such as the Pakistanis. In a small area of Yorkshire, 12 yr. old Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), whose father had died in the Falklands War, found himself looking for role models. By chance, a local skinhead gang takes him in. This fantastic film shows how, over the course of a few weeks, an innocent child can be allured into a completely different lifestyle ... and just how dangerous it can be.
Always picked on by school hoodlums, Shaun had no friends. That is until Woody (Joseph Gilgun) & his gang of sympathetic skinheads 'adopts' him; they include 15 yr. old Smell (Rosamund Hanson), and Milky (Andrew Shim), a black man in a group of skinheads. With a heavy focus on the Latinos & the Pakis, 'some' neo-Nazi groups, such as Woody's, were more welcoming to outsiders than others. By shaving his head, wearing the Doc Martin boots, & living a life of girls & partying, Shaun thought he had it made. That is, until Cosmo burst through the door.
Fresh out of jail, Cosmo (a brilliant Stephen Graham), a bitter, dangerous, hard-core racist, and one-time member of Woody's crew, is initially surprised and angered to see a little squirt, and a black man in his gang. The unhinged, yet good-natured gang is broken once Cosmo re-enters the scene. Splintered, Woody, his girlfriend (who once dated Cosmo), and some others go one way, while Cosmo convinces Shaun to go 'his' way. A persuasive talker, Cosmo is able to reel Shaun in by taking a stand against those who profit from the very war that killed his dad. Cosmo's goal: to preserve England for the English. After attending a riveting meeting of right-wing nationalist, Cosmo's hate-mongering gang proceed to harass the local Paki community. Shaun 'thinks' he feels right at home.
But with time, Cosmo reveals the personal demons that make-up who he is, and why he acts with such contempt for others. While stewing in jail, his isolation from the world transferred into a sort of maniacal energy. A prospective romance goes wrong for him. His hatred & envy of minorities increases. And everything culminates in a disastrous climax when he takes a violent turn on a fellow group member. Though he initially bonded with Cosmo, practically treating him as a father-figure, Shaun's feelings toward him change in a flash. But is it too late for Shaun to get out? Can this impressionable boy return to the life he had?
Though this coming-of-age story takes place in England, its themes are both relevant & universal. 'This is England' completely captures the pop-culture style & mood of the early 1980's. It touches upon the importance of masculinity in the life of a fatherless 12 yr. old boy. Most importantly, it shows how accessible it is for innocent individuals to be turned into monsters, almost overnight. Turgoose's naturalistic style of acting is astonishing here. Though he's so young, you never get the impression that he knows a camera is nearby. Equally impressive is Stephen Graham's charismatic, quasi-sympathetic, but lethal Cosmo. His 3-dimensional performance had me glued to the screen. The scary moments in this film are extremely tense. The light moments are funny & tender. And though it ends on a slightly bizarre note, 'This is England' is great as informative & insightful entertainment.
Always picked on by school hoodlums, Shaun had no friends. That is until Woody (Joseph Gilgun) & his gang of sympathetic skinheads 'adopts' him; they include 15 yr. old Smell (Rosamund Hanson), and Milky (Andrew Shim), a black man in a group of skinheads. With a heavy focus on the Latinos & the Pakis, 'some' neo-Nazi groups, such as Woody's, were more welcoming to outsiders than others. By shaving his head, wearing the Doc Martin boots, & living a life of girls & partying, Shaun thought he had it made. That is, until Cosmo burst through the door.
Fresh out of jail, Cosmo (a brilliant Stephen Graham), a bitter, dangerous, hard-core racist, and one-time member of Woody's crew, is initially surprised and angered to see a little squirt, and a black man in his gang. The unhinged, yet good-natured gang is broken once Cosmo re-enters the scene. Splintered, Woody, his girlfriend (who once dated Cosmo), and some others go one way, while Cosmo convinces Shaun to go 'his' way. A persuasive talker, Cosmo is able to reel Shaun in by taking a stand against those who profit from the very war that killed his dad. Cosmo's goal: to preserve England for the English. After attending a riveting meeting of right-wing nationalist, Cosmo's hate-mongering gang proceed to harass the local Paki community. Shaun 'thinks' he feels right at home.
But with time, Cosmo reveals the personal demons that make-up who he is, and why he acts with such contempt for others. While stewing in jail, his isolation from the world transferred into a sort of maniacal energy. A prospective romance goes wrong for him. His hatred & envy of minorities increases. And everything culminates in a disastrous climax when he takes a violent turn on a fellow group member. Though he initially bonded with Cosmo, practically treating him as a father-figure, Shaun's feelings toward him change in a flash. But is it too late for Shaun to get out? Can this impressionable boy return to the life he had?
Though this coming-of-age story takes place in England, its themes are both relevant & universal. 'This is England' completely captures the pop-culture style & mood of the early 1980's. It touches upon the importance of masculinity in the life of a fatherless 12 yr. old boy. Most importantly, it shows how accessible it is for innocent individuals to be turned into monsters, almost overnight. Turgoose's naturalistic style of acting is astonishing here. Though he's so young, you never get the impression that he knows a camera is nearby. Equally impressive is Stephen Graham's charismatic, quasi-sympathetic, but lethal Cosmo. His 3-dimensional performance had me glued to the screen. The scary moments in this film are extremely tense. The light moments are funny & tender. And though it ends on a slightly bizarre note, 'This is England' is great as informative & insightful entertainment.