Overview
A young boy finds belonging in a turbulent summer of change and conflict.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- nostalgic
- witty
- warm
- serious film night
- british cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a moving, authentic coming-of-age drama that captures the despair and radicalization of working-class English youth in the 1980s.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Shaun moves from loneliness into Woody's welcoming skinhead group before Combo's militant ideology reshapes that sense of community.
The film situates Shaun's summer against mass unemployment, the Falklands War's aftermath, and the social tensions of early-1980s Britain.
Combo channels bitterness and national humiliation into xenophobia, recruiting vulnerable young people through belonging and anger.
Ben Sherman shirts, Doc Martens, shaved hairstyles, parties, and skinhead affiliation visibly organize Shaun's new social world.
Films like This Is England, and why
Kes
Both are intimate coming-of-age dramas about working-class youth whose friendships expose class pressure, masculinity, and political disillusionment.
The Selfish Giant
Both combine adolescent vulnerability, bleak social conditions, and the corrosive influence of extremist or abusive adult figures.
Billy Elliot
Both are British working-class dramas centered on young people navigating identity, friendship, and social marginalization amid economic hardship.
This Is England '86
Both are politically charged youth dramas in which tribal belonging and historical trauma shape a vulnerable protagonist's moral development.
Movie Details
- Director
- Shane Meadows
- Release Date
- 2007-04-27
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (1470)
Cast
- Thomas Turgoose
- Stephen Graham
- Jo Hartley
- Andrew Shim
- Vicky McClure
- Joseph Gilgun
- Rosamund Hanson
- Andrew Ellis
- Perry Benson
- George Newton
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is This Is England about?
- A lonely boy's exhilarating immersion in an English youth gang darkens when charismatic belonging becomes a gateway to racist extremism.
- What is This Is England like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of This Is England as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is This Is England violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in This Is England as moderate.
- What did critics think of This Is England?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a moving, authentic coming-of-age drama that captures the despair and radicalization of working-class English youth in the 1980s.
- Which films are like This Is England?
- Films with a similar feel include Kes, The Selfish Giant, Billy Elliot, and This Is England '86.
- How long is This Is England?
- This Is England runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch This Is England?
- In United States, This Is England streams on Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel.
