An ambitious Asian Briton and his white lover strive for success and hope, when they open up a glamorous laundromat. But, unfortunately, various social forces threaten to compromise their success.
This is a uniquely plausible portrait of life in England, yet its appeal isn't limited to social realism -- it also has a twist of buoyant fantasy and romance
Besides being revelatory in its depiction of a gay relationship, its respectful, yet unfawning, look at immigrants trying to make it in a new country is straight out of the headlines.
... unfolds with a refreshing honesty and a sense of surprise to it; being handled more like something embedded within the characters rather than a plot point thrown in just to bring up an issue or an easy conflict point.
This new British picture raises enough issues for a half-dozen more conventional movies. And though this approach makes for a structure that's a little shaky, the film somehow holds together.
How many times in the history of the medium have we seen a single film rattle as many socio-cinematic paradigms-and done it with as much brio-as My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)?
