StewyMovies

20 odd years since I first watched this movie, it's now much improved in my estimation. This has aged like fine wine...it's so well crafted and understated, obviously on a budget it had to be. Brilliant performances, soundtrack and visuals but the highlight is the the beautiful people/actors who agreed to be a part of this important story and put their heart into it.

I could write 1000s of words about the (race) politics of rural Australia that is on full display here, It hasn't gone away sadly which makes this movie even more relevant. Australia must come to terms with it's awful mistreatment of Indigenous people that continues 23 years after this movie was made. Always was, Always will be...

They don't make em like this anymore....it's a cliche but oh so true in this case. Not much happens in this movie. Not much at all. Why is it so enjoyable then?

No murders, no sex scenes or gratuitous nudity...not even a car crash or ten!! Just day to day life and you see it in a way that makes you (as do the characters) appreciate it.

It's beautifully shot but it's the people who make this movie. They fade in and out of the script but all leave a mark. As you wait for something dramatic to happen, you fall into the pattern of the locals and just as it's all about to be lost to progress, you fall in love with the place just as the amerkcands do.

This movie is a tonic and was ahead of it's time. It doesn't need to be remade...it just needs to be remembered. A beautiful and memorable movie that will leave a mark on you.

What an incredible follow up to the movie which was also excellent.

This Is England '86 is even more moving and gripping. It was also in turns intense, tragic, funny and incredibly sad. The characters are engaging, fascinating and original. Their friendships and relationships are so well portrayed, there is nothing Hollywood about this, it's real life. The stories that weave them together through this short series are real and believable. Some moments I was holding my breath in anticipation of what was coming - there is nothing predictable in this story line. I lived through this period and felt the series captured it authentically. I want to especially pay tribute to the music chosen in this series. Some absolutely astonishing songs that add to the pathos of the story and characters, in particular songs by Paul Weller, The Jam and Fleetwood Mac that I had not actually heard before. This series has sent me down a few rabbit holes trying to find more about the soundtrack.

Thank you to Shane Meadows for writing and creating this and to all involved in it, it's tough and gritty but real and rewarding, it's eye opening and it's art damn it!!

I am so looking forward to watching the next series This is England '88.