Matthew Collins (Stephen Graham) explains in a university class how neo-Nazi movements work in the United Kingdom. He gives a clear example, that of a boy full of hate who dedicated himself to threatening and attacking minorities in the street, participating in racist demonstrations. The attentive audience is surprised by the speaker's revelation: the guy in the photographs, that example of racism and white supremacy, is himself.
Since he left neo-Nazi associations, he has dedicated himself to trying to compensate society for the damage he did, fighting ultranationalism through activism and journalism. And, in a diverse class like British society, he asks the audience to believe in social transformation, even of men like him, who have a second chance at life.
That Matthew Collins, who exists in real life, serves as the gateway to Filmin's The walk-in, a miniseries written by Jeff Pope (Philomena) about the resurgence of far-right movements. His thesis is that, while the population is aware of Islamist terrorism, in parallel the attacks perpetrated by white citizens have grown. How far can organizations that encourage violence go?
The miniseries, in fact, reveals a case that exemplifies this drift: the murder of Jo Cox, a Labor Party politician who was killed in 2016 in the middle of the campaign for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union. Thomas Mair, author of the crime, shouted “Britain first!” before shooting Cox three times and, when asked her name at the trial, he claimed to be called “Death to Traitors, Freedom to the United Kingdom.”
In only five episodes, The walk-in instructs the viewer on how to attract followers of these social movements, how they basically operate based on lies and to what extent they should be taken seriously as a threat to democracy and not just as niches. anecdotal. You can also see how those who challenge these organizations, like Matthew Collins, are prohibited from living a normal life for fear that someone could end their life or the lives of their family members.
The star character, however, goes to Andrew Ellis as Robbie Mullen, an unmotivated young man who perceives Muslims as to blame for society's ills. His day-to-day situations influence him (that his co-workers can go to pray during working hours, that he is prevented from entering a home as an electrician because he is not married) until he becomes involved in National Action, a neo-Nazi organization that wants to bring its racist and anti-Semitic ideals to the next level of action.
The walk-in has an almost journalistic look, a genre so fruitful in the United Kingdom and of which Filmin has other examples such as La infamía, about a network of child abuse, or Justice, about the avalanche at the Liverpool stadium in 1989 with 96 fatalities. The script's desire to educate the viewer on a specific social issue is understandable, especially in these times when the extreme right enters parliaments in collusion with neo-Nazi movements.
It is for this reason that it is recommended, yes, as at times it can lose subtlety when transmitting its message, falling into instructive paths.
