My Beautiful Laundrette is set within the Asian community in South London during the Thatcher years, and displays those values of money but 'anybody can make it.' Omar gains the running of his uncle Nasser's laundrette. He is helped by his friend Johnny who is an outsider, white but not entirely accepted by either the white or Asian Londoners. There are many memorable characters: Tania, Omar's cousin whom he might marry. Salim the manager of Nasser's garage and sometime drug importer. Rachel, Nasser's white mistress, who like Johnny seems to be another outsider.—Matthew Stanfield