This Is England

The latest and, to date, most accomplished film from British indie director Shane Meadows follows the odyssey of outcast 12-year-old Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) looking for a place to belong in his depressed Midlands town. Fatherless since his dad died in the Falklands War, he's adopted by Woody (Joseph Gilgun) and his gang of harmless hooligans, a beloved mascot to these good-natured Rude Boys. Then Woody's old buddy Combo (Stephen Graham) returns from prison looking to sign up these boys to his National Front politics of race and intimidation. This portrait of identity in Thatcher's Britain vividly re-creates the youth culture of Ben Sherman shirts and Dr. Martens boots. Loyalty to mates trumps politics, which makes it easier to draft a new generation into the politics of hate. Features commentary by Meadows with producer Mark Herbert and young star Turgoose, an interview with Meadows, deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, and essays on the culture and history of the film's setting.