This is my England

This Is England, is the story of a summertime school holiday, those long weeks between terms where life changing events can take place. It’s 1983 and school is out. 12-year-old Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) is an isolated lad growing up in a grim coastal town, whose father has died fighting in the Falklands war. Over the course of the summer holiday he finds fresh male role models when those in the local skinhead scene take him in. With his new friends Shaun discovers a world of parties, first love and the joys of Dr Martin boots. Here he meets Combo (Stephen Graham), an older, racist skinhead who has recently got out of prison. As Combo’s gang harass the local ethnic minorities, the course is set for a rite of passage that will hurl Shaun from innocence to experience.

What is most remarkable about this film which deals with the rise of Thather’s racist Britain, is that Stephen Graham, who plays the leader of the racist skinheads, is finally receiving critical acclaim for his acting skills despite working under high profile directors such as Guy Ritchie and Martin Scorses. After being spotted by the director Shane Meadows after his performance as Tommy in Guy Ritchie’s “Snatch” he was cast in one of the leading roles. What’s so strange about that you may ask? Well, the actor is actually mix raced!  However, such is the intensity of his acting that any doubts over his character are placed deeply at the back of your mind.

Ironically, Stephen Graham, grew up in Kirkby Liverpool receiving the same racist chants as seen in the film.  Therefore, the film touches closely on his own experiences. “”I am desperate to let people know that I’m mixed race and am proud of my heritage” on working on This Is England Stephen said Stephen says “Everyone, the whole crew from the gaffer to the lighting person, has been blown away by the experience. It went right through the whole set. Everyone felt it.”

www.thisisenglandmovie.co.uk