This Is England

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This Is England ★★ 2006

Meadows' autobiographical film about a lonely 12-year-old who is befriended by local skinheads in 1983 Britain. Shaun (nonpro Turgoose), whose soldier dad was killed in the Falklands, lives with his mum in a rundown community. He stands up to the teasing of the (essentially harmless) neighborhood gang and earns the respect of young leader Woody (Gilgun). Things change when older Combo (Graham) gets out of prison. A supporter of the National Front, Combo's racist rhetoric causes a split, but Shaun sticks with him since he sees Combo as a surrogate dad. 98m/C DVD . GB Stephen Graham, Thomas Turgoose, Joe Gilgun, Vicky McClure, Andrew Shim, Jo Hartley; D: Shane Meadows; W: Shane Meadows; C: Danny Cohen; M: Ludovico Einaudi.