A new short film by playwright and screenwriter James Graham is prompting a national conversation about what it means to be English in an era of deepening division. Titled The Things That Connect Us Are Fraying, the documentary-style piece weaves together personal testimonies from across England to explore a growing sense of dislocation and loss of shared identity.
Personal Stories of Disconnection
The film features a diverse range of voices, from a former miner in Yorkshire to a young Muslim woman in Leicester, each reflecting on how their sense of Englishness has changed. One participant, a retired teacher from Cornwall, says: "I used to feel a quiet pride in being English, but now I'm not sure what that means anymore. The things that connected us—community, tradition, even a shared sense of humour—seem to be fraying."
Graham, best known for his work on Brexit: The Uncivil War and Sherwood, said the idea for the film emerged from his own observations of social fragmentation. "We're living through a period of intense change, and the old certainties about national identity have been shaken. I wanted to capture that uncertainty and explore whether there's still a common thread that binds us."
Statistics Highlight Growing Polarisation
The film is released alongside a survey by the think tank British Future, which found that only 42% of people in England say they feel a strong sense of belonging to the country, down from 58% a decade ago. The research also revealed a sharp generational divide: while 61% of over-65s feel strongly English, just 29% of 18- to 24-year-olds share that sentiment.
According to Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, the findings point to a "crisis of connection" that the film captures vividly. "James has done something remarkable: he's taken abstract data and given it a human face. The film shows that identity isn't a static thing—it's constantly being renegotiated, and that process can be painful."
Cultural and Political Context
The short film arrives at a time of heightened debate over English identity, following years of political turmoil over Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis. Graham argues that these events have exposed deep fault lines in English society. "We've seen a lot of talk about 'taking back control' and 'levelling up,' but what does that actually mean for the people who feel left behind? The film tries to answer that question by listening, not lecturing."
One particularly poignant segment features a group of fishermen in Grimsby discussing their changing town. "We used to be a community that looked out for each other," says one. "Now everyone's just trying to get by on their own. The connections that held us together have frayed."
Reception and Impact
Since its release online, the film has been viewed over 500,000 times and sparked widespread discussion on social media. Critics have praised its nuanced approach, with The Guardian calling it "a quietly devastating portrait of a nation in search of itself."
Graham hopes the film will encourage more open conversations about identity. "We're not trying to offer easy answers. But if the film helps people understand that they're not alone in feeling disconnected, that's a start. The things that connect us might be fraying, but they haven't broken yet."
