Representation of Race in This Is England

Race in This Is England
Race and racism is a predominant theme within This Is England. Shane Meadows, the director, doesn't hold back when portraying the issue of race/racism and uses a gritty sense of realism in order to portray the opinions and ideologies of the characters in question.
When discussing race and racism in This Is England, two characters seem to come to mind; Milky and Combo, both for different and contrasting reasons.

We also see the Asian-Muslim shop owner, Mr Sandhu, who also plays an important part in the film.
The two ethnic minorities portray the change that was occurring in England at the time, with Milky adopting an English culture and Mr Sandhu (as well as the Asian children we see later in the film) is taking the more multi-cultural approach. This could explain why Milky is accepted by the group (and Combo at parts), but Mr Sandhu is alienated and victimised throughout.

Milky

Milky is the only black character in the film, therefore it could be said that he is the 'voice' of his particular race. As he is the only black character in the film, he represents the fact that they are a minority, and his lack of dialogue compared to other (white) characters portrays that his minority has a very limited voice.

The fact we know him as only 'Milky', and learn little about his true origins, suggests he has adopted a new, English identity. He is quite enigmatic, and when Combo asks him if he feels 'English or Jamaican' he flatly replies "English". His race is seemingly disregarded by the group, who accept him as one of them. Only when Combo returns do we see racism toward Milky. The rest of the group are visibly shocked yet offer little opposition to Combo's racist remarks. In this scene, the audience is positioned as if they too are in the room, and the awkward atmosphere is easy to pick up on and transcends onto the audience. Combo's racist attitude is easy to spot and, despite initially apologising, he continues to use the offensive language throughout. As no one offers any opposition, he doesn't think to stop as he feels it is acceptable. Even Milky himself doesn't say anything, he just accepts it. This further illustrates how, when faced with his race, Milky doesn't have a voice.


Combo
Combo, despite being a white character, offers a lot when considering the representation of race in the film. He has a bigoted view of race, particularly race in England and what it means to be English. He has a casual attitude towards racism, with him seeing it as perfectly acceptable to threaten Mr Sandhu with a machete, and to steal a football from a group of Asian-Muslim children. Initially, we see that his time as a Skinhead has influenced his views and the reason for his racism is because he wants England to be English. However, the scene below perfectly illustrates one reason why he is racist, particularly to Milky.


Here, we gain depth to Milky's character and how Milky's large and nurturing family life gives him great gratification. As this is happening, we are constantly shown shots of Combo getting increasingly emotional, revealing to the audience that he is jealous. When Combo asks "You've got it all you, haven't you?", and Milky somewhat agrees, we realise that Milky may not fully understand Combo's jealously, mistaking Combo's sarcastic tone for a genuine question.
When Combo eventually snaps and stands up, repeatedly addressing Milky as a 'n****r', we are shown Milky smirking slightly, like he has discovered the reason for Combo's racism; he is jealous. Combo alludes to a flawed patriarchal family life, that he is from a broken home.