Film Reviews

Anita and Me

• Rating:
• Director: Meera Syal
• Starring: Anna Brewster
• Details: UK / 93 minutes / (15PG).

A coming of age drama set in a dreary Midlands town in the early seventies, Anita and Me is an unadventurous take on the tried and tested formula. Newcomer Chandeep Uppal plays the 'Me' of the title, the 12-year-old narrator, Meena, who lives with her fiercely traditional Punjabi parents. When we first meet her, Meena is just entering the early phases of teenage rebellion, a state accelerated by her friendship with her new sassy 14-year-old next-door neighbour, Anita (fellow newcomer Anna Brewster). Together the two girls embark on a voyage of discovery that forces them to question their attitudes towards their families and themselves. Strictly adhering to the parameters established by countless other teen movies, there's nothing particularly memorable about Anita and Me. With the exception of Meena, the characters lack any real sort of definition, while the plot is little more than a cobbling together of vaguely dramatic incidents, which offers little insight into the world of the author or the teenage years. Bland, I think, is the word.

Review by Garreth Murphy