context

Question 1

model intro?

Answer 1

Both This is England (Meadows, 2006) and Trainspotting (Boyle, 1996) explore themes of youth, identity and social exclusion with distinct British contexts. Meadows uses social realism to reflect 1980’s nationalism and working class disillusionment while Boyles stylised approach capture the chaos of addiction in late 80’s Scotland. Through film form and context, both directors engage the audience and challenge dominant ideologies. This essay will compare how these techniques…

Question 2

When is This Is England set?

Answer 2

Set in 1983 in Thatchers Britain post- falklands war

Question 4

What does this is england depict?

Answer 4

Rise of nationalism and skinhead culture

Question 5

What does the film critique

Answer 5

Far- right politics, societal neglect, that National Fronts influence on disillusioned working class people

Question 6

What was Thatchers government marked by?

Answer 6

high unemployment, social inequality and urban decay- factors that contributed to youth alienation and radicalisation

Question 7

How does This Is England feel realistic

Answer 7

Meadows draws from his own life experiences, uses non-professional actors and improvised dialogue

Question 8

What was skinhead culture originally about?

Answer 8

It was rooted in multiculturalism, particularly with music (ska, reggae), all about working class pride

Question 9

How was skinhead culture radicalised

Answer 9

It was co-opted by nationalist movements

Question 10

How does the theme of belonging link to 1980’s society

Answer 10

Reflects wider issue of questions surrounding the English identity

Question 11

When/ where was Trainspotting set?

Answer 11

Set in 1980’s edinburgh

Question 12

what does trainspotting reflect

Answer 12

the heroin epidemic that hit working class community’s, marginalisation of scottish youth and the sense of disillusionment with british institutions and futures

Question 13

what was scotland hit hard by

Answer 13

deindustrialisation, unemployment and social decline

Question 14

what was trainspotting a part of

Answer 14

the “cool britannia” movement and 1990s british cinema resurgence

Question 15

What do the characters do

Answer 15

they resist conventional life not just through drugs but as a reaction to systematic failures, poverty, lack of opportunity and cultural invisibility