Film Matters: Please tell us about your article that is being published in Film Matters.
Emma Fergusson: My article, “’A Ritz Among Laundrettes’: Identities and New Waves in My Beautiful Laundrette,” analyzes the 1985 Stephen Frears-directed film, My Beautiful Laundrette, as a precursor to the New Queer Cinema movement, and as significant for its portrayal of characters with complex, intersectional identities, living in Thatcher’s England. The laundrette at the film’s center serves as a space in which its characters can find success in business and the freedom to live out their sexuality, but which nonetheless remains inextricable from the oppressive society that surrounds. Furthermore, I investigate the stylistic impact of the film’s origins in television.
FM: What research and/or methodologies do you incorporate in your article?
EF: When approaching an essay on a specific film, I enjoy delving not only into the relevant theory and academic criticism on the work, but also into contemporary reviews and responses, as well as production history. In the case of Laundrette, for instance, understanding the movie’s unexpected success after starting out as a made-for-TV film became important to the way I interpreted it on an aesthetic level. Because the film was presented in the context of a class centering a variety of “new waves” in movie history, I was inclined to delve a bit into scholarship on New Queer Cinema, and on film telling the stories of characters of South Asian descent living in England.
FM: Describe the original context for/when writing this article while an undergraduate student.
EF: I wrote this essay as part of a film studies course that focused on new waves in cinema. Though we didn’t study Laundrette specifically in the class, it was mentioned in one of our texts and came up in conversation in class. I had seen the movie before and had a particular interest in learning more about it. I was able to conduct that research and create this article as my final assignment. At the time the essay was originally written, I was taking all of my college courses remotely, due to the pandemic. I was particularly invested in exploring this movie in a way that celebrated what I see as Laundrette’s advocacy for joy and love in the face of hate and pain.
FM: How have your personal experiences shaped and influenced your writing?
EF: I love writing about movies—whether in the form of academic essays, or less formal reviews—especially when I get to focus on films and ideas that most interest me; characters and stories that I can relate to, or which move me in an unexpected way. My writing has definitely been influenced by my experiences working in video and film. I previously interned at a production company, which granted me some insights into the industry, and which I think has helped me to write about the production process of films in a more personal way.
FM: What aspects of the writing process were most challenging? Why?
EF: Writing and refining this article has been a lengthy process. I’m a big over-writer—I found so many different aspects of the film fascinating and relevant to the themes that I was focusing on that I kind of just kept writing. It becomes a big undertaking to revise and re-revise a piece of this length. The research process often has its difficulties as well, especially when there isn’t a ton of previous scholarship on the film to go off of. And I’m not afraid to admit that I sometimes struggle with even the most fundamental elements of writing an essay—thesis, structure, flow—and this piece was no exception.
FM: What do you enjoy most about your article?
EF: I loved digging into My Beautiful Laundrette and having the chance to write about it. It’s such a cool, unique movie. Being able to share my thoughts on it as well as delving into the significance behind its existence has been a really enjoyable process. I also really love when I get the chance to incorporate images into an article, especially when discussing such a visual medium.
FM: How has the Film Matters editorial and publication process impacted the development/evolution of your article?
EF: This editorial process has been very beneficial, not only to the development of my article but to my own personal growth as a writer. Having feedback from multiple readers is an invaluable resource and helps tremendously when you’ve spent too much time with the essay to be able to consider it objectively. The process has ultimately allowed me the chance to strengthen my argument and fine-tune my analysis.
FM: What audience do you hope to reach with your Film Matters article and/or what impact do you hope it has on the field of film studies?
EF: My biggest hope is that my article is an interesting, engaging read, and provides a wider audience with an access point to My Beautiful Laundrette—whether that’s for people who have never heard of the movie, or people who have already seen it but want to revisit it in a new way.
FM: How has your department and/or institution supported your work in film and media?
EF: The Film and Media Studies Concentration is a small but highly engaging department that has allowed me to study film from a multitude of perspectives during the last four years and provided me with many opportunities to explore my specific interests within the field of cinema studies. I’ve especially appreciated the encouragement from my professors to keep writing about film and to continue to develop and sharpen my skills as a writer and scholar.
FM: How have your faculty mentors fostered your advancement as a film scholar?
EF: Dr. Sinha, who also served as my advisor for my senior thesis, has been a great guide and mentor over the course of my development as a film scholar. Additionally, my philosophy professor Chris has been incredibly supportive and encouraging of my writing on film.
FM: What advice do you have for undergraduate film and media scholars?
EF: Write about what interests you, what you’re passionate about. Find movies that make you want to write. Write as much as you can and continue to sharpen your skills of analysis along the way.
FM: What are your future plans?
EF: I recently graduated and am currently serving as a post-baccalaureate fellow at Kalamazoo College. I plan to continue writing, studying film, and making movies.
Author Biography
Emma Fergusson is a recent graduate of Kalamazoo College, where she studied English with a minor in philosophy and a concentration in film and media studies. She enjoys writing about movies as well as making them and recently created a documentary film as her senior thesis.
