Review: This Is England ’90, Episode 1, ‘Spring’ (Failure to Blossom?)

“It’s not about the money, it’s about the nostalgia”

This Is England returned to our screens last night for the final series, This Is England ’90. We’ve followed the cast of This Is England through the 80s, and fittingly, their story will come to an end in 1990. We’ve had highs (well, there’s been one or two…), and many, many lows with the characters of TIE, from brutal racist beatings to rape. If you want very depressing and gritty drama, coloured by a tint of nostalgia, TIE is the film/TV series for you. However, from the first episode of TIE ’90, ‘Spring,’ there was barely any grit in sight. What we received were attempts at comedy and lethargic exchanges between the characters we know and love…

Review: This Is England (2007) (It Was Acceptable In The 80s…)

“Are you gonna buy that?”

To prepare for This Is England ’90, I started where it all began: This Is England. I’ve seen it several times before. But for the most part, it’s always a film I can go back to. Of course, with all of the media attention on the so-called ‘migrant crisis,’ the film is still topical. Every time I watch it, it resonates with the news of the day, be it the BNP or UKIP. It tackles the themes of growing up and racism in the era of the Thatcher’s Britain, the National Front, skinheads and Space Invaders. It’s critically acclaimed, and I heartily agree with all the plaudits the film was given. However, there are moments when the façade falls, and it feels like an A-Level drama performance. Regardless of those moments, it is a film that needs and begs to be seen. Once viewed, never forgotten, from the innocent beginning to the brutal ending.