The film is fairly typical of British social realism,made famous by directors such as Shane Meadows, mainly due to the lighting effects and the use of sound. The grey and drab colour mixing is a common technique used in social-realist filmmaking to reflect the serious and realistically harsh vibe of the subject matter - in this case, racism and gang violence. In the opening and closing sequences when the protagonist Romo (or Rasheed) is in his bathroom alone, and again when he has a choice to make in the alleyway during the attack on a young Asian boy, a very subtle spotlight is used to signify Romo's isolation in dealing with his secret; that he is of course Asian too, but being able to get away with pretending he is white protects him from race-fuelled prejudice. There is very little non-diegetic sound used. One of the examples of where it is used is the tick and ping of a metronome during the scene where Romo and his sister are walking past members of the national front on the way to school and work. Here, this rare use of sound not within the filmic world highlights the approaching danger which eventually leads to Romo's controversial decision to make his sister (who is decidedly more foreign-looking) walk ahead so as not to be associated with her. The rest of the film sound-wise works towards the suspension of disbelief so as to make the audience more aware of the very real problems that the minority ethnic cultures faced at the time. Only during moments of dramatic importance is non-diegetic sound added to build tension and lead to a shock climax; for instance when Romo begins to attack the Asian boy himself and submit to hiding behind his weak Pakistani features. I think that Khan has been successful in his use of sound in particular because he has managed to retain a very harsh but real view of British culture at the time, while also bearing in mind that, as a drama, the film should grip an audience and work through both narrative and form towards a climactic moment: when Romo shaves his head in quite a gruesome and emotionally charged way.
It is of course this end sequence that stood out to me the most in the film, and in a way, this is quite typical of a drama, in which the beginning or end scenes are usually the most memorable. Apart from a few flashbacks throughout the film, this is the only part which is altogether not like life itself. It composes a symphony of flashbacks from Romo's childhood, being cornered and verbally abused by skinheads, combined with real-time footage of him shouting insults at the mirror, a reflection of his controversial and cowardly behaviour, and a reflection of his 'rehearsal' for the events of the day in the same mirror at the start of the film. The cuts between these two quicken and build to a moment of surrealism when the two merge, and the men from his memory are there shouting at either side of his face in his reflection, while he shouts and mimics them hysterically, hacking at his head with a razor, becoming just like them. I don't think that the film would have had quite the same emotional impact on me as a viewer as it did if it wasn't for this moment of craziness and almost hyperventilation. It works within the context of the film; it has a shock-factor that impacts horrendously upon the viewer; it is a wonderful way of expressing thoughts and emotions that cannot be expressed in a real world view and it really reflects exactly the type of film that it is - drama.
What I found most interesting about the film was the way that as a viewer, I identified with a character who should repulse me with his hypocritical and controversial decisions. Khan used relatively typical narrative and storytelling conventions to have this effect on the viewer (if I am of course an example of the majority). The whole story was told from Romo's point of view. There was no narration, but this simple technique instantly aligns us with the character from whose perspective the film is seen. This technique is demonstrated through much of the camerawork and framing: often Romo is the principal element in the frame, at times other faces go out of focus or face away from the camera and the only person we 'have eyes for' is Romo. In addition we are introduced to moments of intimacy when Romo is alone at the beginning and end of the film, and the over-the-shoulder shot looking into the mirror almost becomes a point-of-view shot. I think that the point can also be made from a white viewing perspective that the actor cast as Romo could easily be mistaken to be British, and for this, we almost excuse the way that he has used this fact to relieve him of prejudice, and we forgive him even though we are disgusted by his actions.
I think that the film is both a historical homage to a time in which the British were not so accepting of multiculturalism, and also speaks a message that not being able to change who we are can also be the cause of huge emotional upheaval, as in Romo's case. Romo is unable to be anything other than mixed race, so he hides behind his more British attributes to become something more accepted and secure in the society. This theory could apply to many other problems other than race, such as obesity and anorexia, nationality and social status, and perhaps this is why the film is so identifiable, even to a white audience. The film is a powerful reminder of the dangers of prejudice in any form and also hints towards ideas about identity, which have always been explored in drama through teenage characters. It is a tried and tested technique that works because teen-hood is the time in which young people begin to try and find who they are, what they like, and where they stand in society. In this film in particular, it is equally as effective, and as every adult has been through this stage in their life it is easy to relate to Romo's character, even if not his situation.
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