This Is England

Saw This is England over the weekend. As the opening montage suggests, there are two Englands. The England shown in this film has nothing to do with the Queen.

Ostensibly it is a movie about Racism and Skin Heads. Set in 1983, the viewer witnesses the transformation of “Shaun” a twelve year-old boy. When the viewer gets involved, Shaun’s father is already dead, a casualty of the Falklands War. Obviously, at 12-years-old, Shaun can be convinced of most anything. Shaun joins the National Front in order for his father’s death to not have been in vain.  

Meagan and I had a discussion about the merits of This is England and American History X. Meagan preferred X while I preferred England. Besides the plot, the warddrobes are awesome. If the look wasn’t associated with Skin-Headery, I’d consider buying my own Ben Sherman shirt, suspenders, and Dr. Martens.