MADE IN BRITAIN

MADE IN BRITAIN stands as one of the most powerful, and certainly the most grim, examples of British social realism of the 1980s. Alan Clarke, an uncompromising and radical director, was always interested in issues of violence and power. He has always viewed cinema as a brutal force - each of his films was like a punchline, a challenge thrown to the comfort and habits of the audience.

The protagonist of the film is Trevor - played by the debutant Tim Roth - a teenage skinhead with a swastika tattooed on his forehead. We meet him as he again ends up in a juvenile detention centre. Driven by aggression and hatred, he cannot be straightened out and his temper is like a ticking time bomb. 

However, Clarke does not present a simplistic, one-dimensional portrait of a young neo-Nazi as a symbol of the Thatcherite era. Trevor is intelligent and thoughtful; his angry speeches have their unique, perverse logic. Always keeping the camera close to the boy (the beginning of the director's fascination with the Steadicam), Clarke pushes him in front of the audience's eyes, forcing them to listen to his reasoning, even if it only arouses dislike and disgust.

Yet, this is not a study of a (anti)hero but an accusation of the system responsible for persistently perpetuating the cycle of violence and misery. Clarke is a ruthless examiner of how power operates and how society is being destroyed. Trevor and his compulsive march to nowhere is a metaphor for the state in which Britain finds itself. The trance-like, persistent rhythm of his steps counterpoints the oppressive landscape -  social and emotional. MADE IN BRITAIN is also a brilliant tour de force by Tim Roth.

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Karolina Kosińska

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