40th Anniversary Remaster
Set in South London during the Thatcher years, a gritty tale of forbidden love divided by colour, culture, class, crime, and crisis.
The racial, social and political tensions of south London in the 1980s are vividly captured by Stephen Frears in his breakthrough film originally made for Channel 4. Omar (Gordon Warnecke) is a young British-Pakistani torn between his alcoholic father (Roshan Seth), a disillusioned socialist who wants his son to attend University and rich uncle Nasser (Saeed Jaffrey), who wants Omar to be a successful businessman, gifting him a run-down laundrette, which Omar transforms into a gleaming temple. He is helped by a boyhood friend, the ultra-right-wing, leather-jacketed, peroxide-blonde Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis in his first substantial role). Johnny's National Front sympathies are challenged when the pair embark, unexpectedly, on a passionate love affair - but Johnny's redemption is riddled with moral compromises. The Oscar-nominated screenplay was written by a young Hanif Kureishi and Hans Zimmer contributes to the film’s memorable soundtrack.
UK 1985 Stephen Frears 97M
