The World of Leonardo Morgado

It has been a long while since a film has moved me and I’m not talking about shifting my body out of boredom.  Shane Meadows’ film, This is England manages to be entertaining but at the same time bridges the gap between audience and celluloid to offer a moving and at times uncomfortable story of growing up.

Set in an unnamed Midlands town in the early 80’s during the Falklands War, it captures the isolation of a young boy who finds friendship and a sense of a belonging when he joins a local group of skinheads.  The skins are initially portrayed in their original guise - multi-cultural and with a deep rooted love of black music.  Things turn sour when the extreme manifestation of suedeheads appears in a National Front, immigrant bashing form.

It is a film full of wonderful performances and a deep sense of authenticity and that includes showing the violence of National Front beliefs.  It has to be seen and the fact that it has done so well financially gives hope that there will be room in the cinema for films that speaks to an audience, as opposed to beating them into submission with CGI pyrotechnics.