Film

In the summer of 1983, English 12-year-old Shaun (Turgoose) is recovering from the loss of his soldier father, who has just died in the Falklands War. He’s a loner, guarding himself against any attack from a world he assumes is hostile and cruel. When twentyish skinhead Woody (Gilgun) treats Shaun kindly, the youngster reacts with a mixture of suspicion and longing for acceptance. Soon, Shaun has been drawn into skinhead culture, complete with buzz cut, Doc Martens and suspenders.

For many filmmakers, this would be a story about a descent into the heart of darkness (think American History X, Romper Stomper, etc.), but Meadows bravely forges a different path, exploring the close bonds that form among this band of bald, aggressive brothers. Meadows creates an absolutely believable picture of the weird mix of cruelty and affection that plays out among these guys.

But Meadows isn’t simply romanticizing skinhead culture. If Woody is the good skinhead, tapping into the movement’s more inclusive 1960s origins, then Combo (Graham) is the bad one, embracing the newer, virulently racist skinhead philosophy. Woody and Combo battle for Shaun’s soul. There are a few weak moments here—like Meadows’s lazy use of formulaic slo-mo walking shots to show that Shaun is now part of the group—but on the whole this is a subtle film that forces viewers to ask hard questions, rather than offering them easy answers.