Set in 1983, "This Is England" tells the story of 12-year-old Shaun, who is trying to overcome the grief of losing his father who died during the Falklands War. After an unhappy day at school, he meets a group of young vandals, who become his best friends. But meeting them is only the beginning of a greater challenge in Shaun's life as through them he meets Combo, a skinhead and an ex-prisoner with an unbounded hatred for racial minorities.
As Shaun's joining Woody's gang in the beginning is by mere accident, his friendship with Combo is a conscious decision he makes as he does not want his father's death to be in vain. The film tells how Shaun learns to grow up, not in school and not by TV, but by opening his eyes to the realities around him.
The film is dark, funny and thought-provoking and one of the best British films I have ever seen.
As Shaun's joining Woody's gang in the beginning is by mere accident, his friendship with Combo is a conscious decision he makes as he does not want his father's death to be in vain. The film tells how Shaun learns to grow up, not in school and not by TV, but by opening his eyes to the realities around him.
The film is dark, funny and thought-provoking and one of the best British films I have ever seen.