Context of This Is England - Shop Scene

First Shop Scene

The first scene we see Mr Sandhu's shop is when Shaun visits before school. Its mise-en-scene easily identifies it as belonging to the eighties. The whole feel of the shop makes the audience know the film is set in the 1980's with its wooden cigarette stands and pastel coloured walls.
This gives This Is England a sense of reality for the era as the film is authentic in its portrayal of eighties fashion and decor. Even Shaun reading Beano adds to the authenticity of the film. Director Shane Meadows chose to do this to make the film correct in its presentation of eighties Britain for the working class. The area the shop is in looks rundown and derelict. The grey walls filled with graffiti and the bleakness of the pale sky reflect the hard time the working class were facing during the eighties. From Thatcher to the economic downfall, life for the working class was extremely difficult for people like Shaun and his mother. This is England is a very realistic film and is a true representation of what life was like back in the eighties.

Shane Meadows describes This is England as a 'costume drama.' Mr Sandhu and Shaun are dressed like they are from the era, Shaun's flared trousers being the main focus.  This iconography is shown to make the audience know that the film is set in the eighties, indicating that the story is rooted in a real context. In other scenes, especially ones where the gang heavily feature, emphasise this. Wearing their iconic Doc Martens boots and turned up jeans, the skinheads are another way in which Shane Meadows makes the eighties come alive in This is England.