by Matt Morgan-Rawes

Created on: December 30, 2008

Director Shane Meadows' 2005 indie-hit This Is England is a faithful recreation of England in the 1980s; the era of Two-Tone ska revival, Roland Rat and the emergence of Princess Diana into the public eye. It was also the era of Thatcherism, the National Front and the Falklands War. Meadows recalls the 80s with a confusing combination of fond nostalgia and shame. The confusion that was rife within an England which was re-defining itself politically and socially is fantastically portrayed through main character Shaun Field (Thomas Thurgoose), a young fatherless boy who finds himself subject to the influence of two gangs who find themselves only slightly less confused than the poor young lad that they come across in the vague plot in the film.

The film begins after a bad day in school for the protagonist Shaun. He finds himself on the receiving end of bullying by his peers because his clothes are not up to date with the current fashions, which seem to be symbolic of Shaun's longing to recreate the times when his father a Falklands casualty were still around. This juxtaposition of past and present poignantly expresses Shaun's position within the world; trapped between the two, alone all but for his mother.

His life begins to change, however, when he fortuitously comes across Woody (Joe Gilgun), Milky and their skinhead gang. The gang can be considered rough, with their Doc Martens boots, Ben Sherman shirts and skinhead haircuts. Indeed, Shaun finds them in a subway under-pass with the intention of drinking beer and smoking. Woody's gang, however, actually mean very well. It is made quite clear in the opening half an hour of the film that they are only interested in having a good time, but not at the expense of others. The gang are aggressive and bored, but only in destroying derelict houses. In another strange contrast, gang leader Woody is at times very immature, but also shows a paternal side by taking young Shaun under his wing, acting as a surrogate father.

With Woody's non-political skinhead gang, Shaun develops confidence, a set of friends and a sense of loyalty to the gang. Things become complicated once more for Shaun, however, when old member of the gang Combo (Stephen Graham) returns, and with him brings themes of White Supremacy into the film. The skinhead subculture became divided by politics and racial discourses, with racist National Front members paradoxically adopting the skinhead movement as their own, despite the skinhead culture actively encouraging

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