I am slightly obsessed with several things which are all rather easily explained. I love the beach, surfing and blondes. Easy to figure that out, I'm from Orange County. I love films and USC which has a lot to do with me attending the film school there. Unexplainably I have an ongoing love of England and particularly Premiership football. So when the film THE FOOTBALL FACTORY (Nick Love, Momentum Pictures, 2004) was recommended to me of course I immediately queued it up. And the film hardly disappoints. The narrative is based off the novel of the same name also by Love and I of course will be reading it shortly. While the film has it's shortcomings, primarily in a confusing narrative and dialogue and an extreme glorification of violence, it is entertaining as hell and raises some very intriguing social issues, particularly for England.
The film is made with a faux documentary style, which lends weight and importance to it's narrative. This style, using news footage and broadcasting, gives the narrative a "loosely based on" feel to it. These headlines are extremely believable, and the film itself could easily be something that any member of the warring factories could be filming as events unfold. The narrative needs this because if you are not a fan of premiership football then you will be extremely confused as to what is taking place and why. Adding to this confusion is the fact that every actor has a heavy British accent and the dialogue is written full of colloquialisms and slang. Also giving the film good local color is the characters within the narrative.
And each one of these characters is superbly portrayed. In fact, the portrayals of many of these characters also adds to the overall film and it's documentary style. Tommy Johnson (Danny Dyer) is remarkable. The protagonist to the film, he epitomizes what appears to be a lost generation of males in contemporary England. He works a dead end job, has no meaningful relationships with women and lives only to party on the weekends and watch football. A good life no doubt, but Tommy is facing the other side of thirty and social conventions implore him to move on.
And to me this is one of the most powerful aspects and messages of the film. The role of social conventions and constructs within our lives. Tommy has no prospects. He is uneducated and a member of a non existent work force. To maintain a lasting relationship with a women would require advances beyond his means. The only thing left for Tommy is to embrace that which he knows; his love of Chelsea football, drugs and casual sexual encounters and a fair amount of violent episodes. These releases come for Tommy as a way of coping. How can he be expected to live out life's social conventions when those particular doors are shut to him and his generation? And how exactly does the role of Tommy play into the ancillary character of England within the film?
England is represented in two manners within this film. There is the role of Tommy and his mates, the lost generation that believes their country has failed them and that what they were promised as children was all lies. The other half of England is the representation of the grandfather. Here is old England, proud and patriotic, yet still ready to move on. It is telling that the two grandfather characters never escape to Australia. The message is clear, there is no escape for these men, regardless of generation.
And for England to be represented as a character in such a manner opens up the ability for the film to show a side of England the world doesn't usually see. Here is a country that is economically struggling. There is, amongst it's youth, a general malaise and ambivalence towards life itself and the social and power constructs of the country. There is also wide spread drug use, creating a country apathetic towards it's situation. Does this sound like any country we might live in? Are we Americans destined towards a similar fate? I am sure that Mr. Love had no intent of his book or film being analyzed as such but the parallels to me are just very striking.
I loved this film, probably a little bit too much due to my English obsession. But anything that can have such an impact with social commentary is definitely a meaningful work, and I highly recommend this film to anyone. And lastly, no one cares about Chelsea football.
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