SET over the long summer holidays, the film is about Shaun, a fragile and determined 11-year-old, played sublimely by Thomas Turgoose, who falls in with a gang of skinheads.

Over the next few weeks, he feels the influences of the far right slowly seep into the gang.

From the opening montage of classic 80s memories, this film simply glows.

The era it seems to effortlessly evoke feels so authentic, from the corner sweet shops to the horrendous perms, it's almost like stepping back in time.

Within that comfort zone of childhood, director Shane Meadows places his little gang of skinheads, who from the outside look exactly as we remember them, surly and pumped full of attitude.

But This is England is all heart and it's this which makes it such an amazing piece of film-making.

Shaun's ballsy attitude easily shows how fragile the gang is as he becomes drawn into their little family, full of their own affection, humour and insecurities.

When eventually the far right influences which bubble away under the surface rear their head, you at least feel prepared, if more than a little heartbroken.

AT