Think of England: A Wartime Film With a Very Unusual Story to Tell.
Some films catch your attention because of the cast, some because of the setting, and occasionally one comes along where the premise alone makes you want to know more. Think of England is definitely in that last category.
Released in UK cinemas on 6 November 2026, this British independent film takes a rather unusual piece of wartime folklore and turns it into a psychological drama with dark humour, secrets, ambition and plenty to say about morality and survival.
Inspired by the enduring rumour that Churchill’s government commissioned pornographic films to boost troop morale during the Second World War, Think of England takes us back to the summer of 1943 and the remote Orkney Islands.
Here, six very different people are brought together for a secret assignment: to make a series of clandestine films for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
It is hardly your typical wartime story.
And, as you might expect, putting six strangers together in these circumstances isn’t going to go entirely to plan.
Among them are a psychologically damaged former movie star soldier, a German-Jewish refugee filmmaker and a munitions worker who dreams of becoming an actress. They each arrive with their own experiences, ambitions and ideas about duty, but as filming gets underway, tensions begin to rise and long-hidden secrets start to surface.
At its heart, Think of England is as much about people as it is about the unusual films they have been asked to make. It explores what happens when personal morality, censorship, power and ambition collide with the demands of wartime survival.
Written and directed by BAFTA-nominated Richard Hawkins, whose previous work includes Everything and The Theory of Flight, the film also becomes a story about cinema itself and the complicated relationship between performance and reality.
A cast worth watching
The film brings together an interesting mix of established names and emerging talent.
Natalie Quarry, known for Call the Midwife, plays aspiring actress Holly Spurring, while Jack Bandeira (The Duke, Andor) takes on the role of Corporal Harry Evans, a soldier carrying considerable psychological damage from the war.
John McCrea (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Cruella, God’s Own Country) plays Ministry of Information officer Captain Anthony Clune, with Ronni Ancona taking the role of veteran hair and make-up artist Agnes Duprée.
The cast also includes Ben Bela Böhm, Ollie Maddigan and Oscar Hoppe, with each character bringing a very different perspective to the story.
It is this mixture of personalities, motivations and secrets that appears to give Think of England much of its tension.
Already making an impression
The film premiered in Official Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in 2025, where it won Best Production Design. It has since screened at Glasgow Film Festival, Manchester Film Festival and London’s Raindance Film Festival.
And the early reaction suggests this isn’t a film that is particularly easy to put into one box.
Variety describes it as “a thought-provoking exploration of truth and deceit”, while Franglais27 calls it “a twisty, darkly humorous tale.”
ONIN London describes it as “a film that unsettles and surprises”, while North West End UK awarded it four stars and called it “an intriguing tonal balancing act.”
That combination of wartime drama, psychological tension and dark humour certainly makes it sound rather different from the usual Second World War film.
And perhaps that’s the appeal.
Think of England isn’t simply asking us to think about the war itself, but about the choices people make when the rules of ordinary life have been turned upside down. How far would you go for your country? What happens when ambition meets censorship? And can something created as propaganda ever remain simply entertainment?
With its unusual premise and decidedly grown-up themes, this sounds like one for those who enjoy their cinema with a little more to think about once the credits roll.
Think of England is in UK cinemas from 6 November 2026, released by Tull Stories.
Poppy Watt