Time and Space Constraints - This is England

How Does Shane Meadows represent Time Passing?

Throughout the film we are aware of each time that time passes. this is due to the events which take place along the narrative. Smell's birthday is one of them and follows shortly after the scene with Combo's speech and the parting of the group. The birthday itself shows time moving forward as it is now someone's birthday, meaning that days have passed by since the previous scene. The feeling which greets Shaun and Combo shows that not that much time has passed since there is still animosity and ill feelings towards Combo and his ideas and manipulating of Shaun.

Parallel scene also show us time passing as it makes us recognise how much has changed throughout the film. these scenes include the 'dead-time' on the beaches. these show great contrast between the beginning and end of the film. The first scene on the beach seems to represent his loneliness and solitude. The scene is long, representing the 'Time flies when you're having fun' belief, with fun and happy scenes being quick and fast paced whereas this is slow and dragging. The second scene is also quite long and is there to show how much Shaun has changed throughout the course of the holidays. this brings attention to the change in not only his aesthetic appearance but to the change he has faced inside.

Other scenes such as the party scenes and the montage scenes also draw our attention to the changes which happen between. it shows how tiny changes can create such large affects. The montage is one of the most important as it shows the change from Shaun to a fun-loving skinhead and from a skinhead to a racist. this is the central story of the film, showing the mistakes that shaun has made in order to follow a father figure. Just seeing the people he is with and the clothes he is wearing, you can see the transformation he has undergone. The black coat seems ominous and the change from light colours to the darker ensemble also shows the change in his personality. 

these parallel scenes draw our attention to the time that has passed, and we feel saddened that he has made these mistakes and wish for time to turn back so that he can go back to the way he used to be.