Movie Natters: September 7, 2007 Archive

This is England: The ups and downs of skinheads

Posted at 6:39 PM on September 7, 2007 by Euan Kerr (1 Comments)

Growing up in Scotland I only ran into skinhead gangs a few times, and thankfully only in passing. You had to quickly check out if the face above the boots and the braces (suspenders) was open and smiling or crunched up in a snarl. Either way you tended to want to leave, faster if there was a whiff of anger in the air.

Skinheads were the crazies you saw at soccer matches, charging the opposing fans, fists and boots flying. Some of them howled foul racist and sectarian threats at anyone they felt wasn't one of them. They enjoyed being feared.

They also had a sense of sartorial style which was very attractive to some people. They might have been looking forma punch-up, but they turned up in tailored jackets, pressed shirts and pants with carefully cleaned boots.

There were skinheads who would tell you that they were part of a working class movement who were just expressing their pride in their roots. There were the anti-racist skins too, leading the charge against the people who tried to recruit new members for the ultra-right wing gangs.

Shane Meadow's new film "This is England" took me back, and it was a pretty amazing trip.

It's the story of Shaun, a 12 year old kid adrift in a northern English town. His dad is dead, killed in the Falklands war. He's bullied at school, and he's clearly facing clinical depression.

By chance he falls in with a group of skinheads led by a lanky lad called Woody who feels sorry for Shaun and forces the rest of the gang to treat him with respect.

Shaun's life turns right around. Yes, it's a gang, but it's a pretty friendly gang. They smash up deserted houses, but they are also unfailingly polite to people like Shaun's mother. Shaun even gets a girlfriend. For a while things are looking up.

Then Combo arrives. He's an older, hardline skin who just got out of prison. As Combo challenges the group to think about what they stand for Shaun has to make some tricky decisions.

Shane Meadows has created complex characters dealing with the everyday horrors of poverty and boredom. He does it well too, showing the humanity of even the least likable characters.

He's also found a remarkable star in Thomas Turgoose, who got the role of Shaun shortly after having been turned down for a part in the school play. Turgoose can turn on the effervescence and incandescence of pre-teen life and he's amazing to watch.

Comment on this post