This is england

Documentary Realism or stylised set ups

As a social realism film it is important for the director to reflect a large degree of reality towards the audience. This is achieved greatly throughout This is England in many ways.

For instance the idea of documentary realism is conveyed in the film through factors such as the captions "last day of term" This is a factor that is often presented on documentaries to give the audience a degree of realism and sets a time and place for the audience so they feel as though this is real and is happening currently.

Although much of this film does portray a high degree of realism, there are elements of this film which seem to break some of the social realist conventions and remind the audience that this is just a film. One     of the most unique part of this film which connotes this is the final shot if the entire film. This particular shot stands out from the rest and as you can see in the picture Shaun, the main protagonist, is shown staring directly in the camera, breaking the fourth wall. In effect, this brings the audience back to reality after the gritty, somewhat real film that they have just watched and reminds them that they are in fact just an audience and are not in fact living alongside these characters.

Another stylised set up is when Combo arrives in the film and Shaun makes an ultimate decision of joining combo and following his ideologies due to his undying pride to do good by his deceased father who died in the war. As a result from Combos influence and when we see a massive change in Shaun's development as a character, there is a shot of Shaun and the gang walking towards the camera which is shot in slow motion. This is a shot that separates itself from many others as throughout the film time seems to be moving fast however despite this set up breaking some of the social realist conventions, it is clear Shane Meadows might have done this to emphasise towards the audience the change of Shaun's character as he now not the lonely boy we first saw him to be, but the new 'gangster' Shaun that combo has manipulated him to be.

The use of close ups in This is England can be argued to have been used as a stylised set up to convey some sort of message to the audience or position them in a certain way. For instance when Combo and the gang are being racist towards a could of Indian children in the street, a number of close ups and medium close ups
are used throughout this scene which places the audience in a uncomfortable decision and makes them feel as though they are either the ones being victimised or partaking in the victimising. Overall, it gives a sense that all boundaries of personal space have been overtaken and ignored and the director wants you to feel this way.

Another example is of an extreme close when Shaun and Combo are speaking in his car. Throughout this scene Combo tells shaun that he reminds him of himself when he was younger and vice versa shaun looks up to Combo as the father figure he has always wanted. While this is being discussed the similarities between the two characters become apparent to the audience and each characters seems to reflect 'themselves' at a different life stage.