Anita and Me (2002)

Anita & Me tells the tale of Meena Kumar, a twelve-year-old girl who is discovering life in a whole new light. She lives with her parents in a small mining town called Tollington, in the Black Country of England in the 1970's. She is forever dreaming of a life other than her own, something that her parents can't understand. They believe that she should be studying hard and learning about her Asian heritage. But Meena wants to be blonde and stylish, and looks to her diary as her only escape from the boredom of daily life. But she suddenly finds herself entranced when the Rutter family become her new neighbours. They're loud and brash, and Meena is drawn to eldest daughter Anita. She's fourteen, blonde, confident and outspoken, and Meena worships her. They are complete opposites, but they form a surprising friendship. Anita and some of the local girls have a gang, and Meena is allowed to join. She is naturally thrilled, and they convene in a den in a sprawling wood that supposedly belongs to a Yeti. There, they read Jackie magazine, paint their toenails and dream of what life will be like when they grow up. But Anita is older, and desires boys and life in the fast lane, and soon finds those pastimes more interesting than Meena. Meanwhile, Meena's parents are facing the brunt of racism, and get worried that Meena will go off the rails. They ultimately forbid Meena from socialising with Anita, and try and immerse her in more worthy activities. They slowly drift apart, but Meena soon discovers what Anita has been doing since, and things become very tense. What could have been a lifelong friendship may soon turn nasty, and there are many shocking things yet to come.After much anticipation of Anita & Me being a brilliant film, it ended up being disappointingly average. It wasn't a dismal experience, and there were many moments to be savoured, but it's no classic. Since this was an adaptation of Meera Syal's celebrated novel, it should have been sensational. Not to be, I'm