I think the director's main primary aim is to give the audience an insight into what his life was like growing up during the 1980's. I feel it is a powerful film which expresses racism very clearly to the audience. The character "Romo" is half Pakistani and half English and is trying to fit in with the national front skinheads in the run down estate. I feel a mix of sympathy and dislike for "Romo" as in that era it was very hard for ethnic minorities as there were societal racism, discrimination and poverty, alongside further perceptions of powerlessness and oppressive policing which sparked a series of riots in areas across London. But at the same time I feel he is being a coward as to confront his ethnicity.
I did really enjoy the film as it was a powerful and emotional piece on racism, and teenage life in the 80's. It enticed me in with what life really was like in that era. The camera shots used throughout the film were also another reason why I enjoyed the film. There were flashbacks which gave the audience a perception of the character and what his upbringing was like.
The end scene with "Romo" screaming at the mirror was a very expressive and emotional scene, and also very cleverly edited and shot, it mirrored the opening scene of "Romo" splashing water on his face and had quick, snappy flashbacks of him getting bullied and beaten by skinheads, and cut to him cutting his hair off. Also by having the characters who were bullying him actually next to him whilst he was shaving his head showed how much that part in his life scarred him mentally, the fact that he would always remember that part of his life.
The element that particularly stood out to me was when "Romo" threatened and bullied a young Asian boy. This is because you can see it in "Romo's" facial expression that he knows it was wrong, but to "fit" in he had to do it. The close up of when "Romo" gets in the young boys face, echoes the part in his life when he was getting targeted by the skinheads. I think that the young Asian boy either recognises "Romo" personally or as his own ethnicity as he looks over at him as if to say that. This is when "Romo" has to make a split second decision whether to confront his identity or not.
The end scene with "Romo" screaming at the mirror was a very expressive and emotional scene, and also very cleverly edited and shot, it mirrored the opening scene of "Romo" splashing water on his face and had quick, snappy flashbacks of him getting bullied and beaten by skinheads, and cut to him cutting his hair off. Also by having the characters who were bullying him actually next to him whilst he was shaving his head showed how much that part in his life scarred him mentally, the fact that he would always remember that part of his life.
The element that particularly stood out to me was when "Romo" threatened and bullied a young Asian boy. This is because you can see it in "Romo's" facial expression that he knows it was wrong, but to "fit" in he had to do it. The close up of when "Romo" gets in the young boys face, echoes the part in his life when he was getting targeted by the skinheads. I think that the young Asian boy either recognises "Romo" personally or as his own ethnicity as he looks over at him as if to say that. This is when "Romo" has to make a split second decision whether to confront his identity or not.
The use of flashbacks worked very well for me as they were all very short and straight to the point, the film uses these flashbacks to show what background "Romo" had, and they weren't over used either. Each one was appropriately placed as it portrayed how and why "Romo" was behaving the way he was. Another technique I found interesting was the use of close ups. In the pub scene where one of the skinheads says "Hey Romo, you look like you’ve got a bit of Paki in you" it cuts to several close ups of "Romo's" face, men and women's faces who are in the pub laughing, also the skinheads who he is having the flashbacks of. This reiterates the emotional and physcilogical effect it has had on him, by using close ups it gives the audience a sense of confinement, and the fact that he feels everyone is looking and laughing at him as the skinhead says that line. I felt the film was building to a climax and felt that the director dealt with its subject matter brilliantly, from the close ups, flashbacks, plot and text.
Brendan Harper.
