My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

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Gordon Warnecke and Daniel Day-Lewis star as young lovers trying to forge their own way in life by opening a successful laundromat in London. Warnecke’s character rails against the old-world expectations of his Pakistani father and uncle (Roshan Seth and Saeed Jaffrey), while Day-Lewis tries to break free from the influence of his skinhead friends. Somehow, the two make it work, and begin to influence some of their friends and family to adapt to the times or get trapped in the past.

My Beautiful Laundrette is incredibly specific in its depiction of characters from distinct cultures living in an equally specific time and place. But despite the socio-political backdrop, writer Hanif Kureishi and director Stephen Frears (The Grifters, Dangerous Liaisons) essentially create a drama with a light touch that at times feels like a gay romantic comedy. Warnecke and Day-Lewis’s characters are neither stereotypical, self-loathing, nor dying from AIDS — a rarity for the depiction of gay characters in ’80s movies. Their sexuality is nowhere near the point of the movie and is never a source of conflict between them, their families, or their friends. How refreshing is that — to just be gay in a movie, instead of being in a gay movie?

Day-Lewis is, of course, outstanding in this early film role. By comparison, Warnecke comes off a little stiff at times. Saeed Jaffrey and Shirley Anne Field (Peeping Tom) are endearing as Warnecke’s uncle and not-so-secret mistress. One of the best scenes in the movie is one in which both of these couples get intimate at the laundromat, neither pair realizing they aren’t alone.

Oscar Nomination: Best Original Screenplay (Hanif Kureishi)