This Is England
Short description
Set in England in 1983, This Is England follows twelve-year-old Shaun, a lonely boy living with his mother in a coastal town. His father was killed in the Falklands War, and at school he is bullied and isolated. During the summer holidays, after a fight with a schoolmate, he encounters a group of local skinheads, who take him into their circle. Through them, Shaun finds friendship and a sense of belonging, along with parties, a first romance and the group's distinctive style of dress and boots. The mood shifts with the return of Combo, an older skinhead recently released from prison, whose racist views pull the group toward conflict with the town's ethnic minority communities, leading Shaun toward a rite of passage that ends his childhood innocence.
The film is directed by Shane Meadows, who wrote the screenplay with Andrew Vickers, and draws on Meadows's own experiences growing up. It followed his 2004 film Dead Man's Shoes and preceded Somers Town in 2008. Thomas Turgoose plays Shaun, with Stephen Graham as Combo, Jo Hartley as Cynth, Andrew Shim as Milky, Vicky McClure as Lol and Joseph Gilgun as Woody. Produced by Mark Herbert for Film4 Productions, the UK Film Council, Screen Yorkshire and EM Media, it was made for about 2 million USD and took roughly 8 million USD worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.7/10 from 135,000 votes and on TMDB 7.5/10 from 1,462 votes, while critics rated it 8/10 from 96 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- Thomas Turgoose, who played the main character Sean, was 11 years old during filming. The film is dedicated to Sharon, Thomas's mother, who died of cancer on December 29, 2005.
- Thomas Turgoose had never acted in a film before; he was expelled from rehearsals for a school play for bad behavior, and a £5 fee was charged for his participation in the film auditions.
- According to the screenwriter and director Shane Meadows, much of the film, including some characters and their actions, was inspired by events from his own childhood.
- Jack O’Connell also auditioned for the role of Sean, but it went to Thomas Turgoose. However, O’Connell impressed the director so much that he wrote a role specifically for this actor.
- The film initially received an 18+ rating due to racist language and violence. However, this rating was later revised, as it was deemed that the film should be seen by a wider audience of teenagers.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
