A classic 1980s British film in which young Day-Lewis plays a handsome homosexual boy who fell in love with an Asian-British.
Rating: ★★★★☆ 3.5 stars
Director: Stephen Frears
Writer: Hanif Kureishi
Cast: Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth, Daniel Day-Lewis
Set in Thatcher’s Britain, this Stephen Frears film tells a story about Omar, a young Asian Briton boldly tried to take charge of one of his uncle, Nasser’s small business – an old laundry, redecorating it and finally made it a success. Johnny, Omar’s old friend, a white man who used to be a racist, joined Omar’s business after they met again. The two boys finally fell in love with each other.
Stephen Frears, the director, known for High Fidelity (2000), The Queen (2006) and Philomena (2013), is always good at telling stories of ordinary people. Like many other films produced in the 80s and 90s, My Beautiful Laundrette is a social realism film portraying people’s struggle for living. At the same time, it tried to challenge the stereotypical representations on post-colonial British identities, queer relationships and Thatcher’s political environment at that time.
Additionally, as a typical 80s British film, My Beautiful Laundrette was low budget, focusing more on characters’ dialogues and acting instead of spectacle actions. There is an unforgettable detail for almost every audience – the background sound of bubbling, which constantly reminds people of the relaxing environment of a laundry. Moreover, it also helps create a romantic atmosphere for the two boys who gradually fell in love with each other.
Beautiful Laundrette will be on screen at Chapter Art Centre in Cardiff at 6.15pm on 19 Dec, for people who want to review their 1980s or interested in the character of young handsome Daniel Day-Lewis, and especially international audiences who wants to know the political, multicultural and historical background of this country’s 1980s.
Let’s go “re-viewing” this classic film together.