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Episode two
Part two of this essential series sees big changes for the three young people trying to come to terms with their new British identities. There are two stories here: we see Zimbawean Marshal, and Altynay from Kyrgyzstan, gradually assimilate more of their adopted country’s culture, while bullied Pakistani Imran retreats into a naively hardline Muslim stance, while keeping one eye on the cricket coverage.
The raw experiences are compelling enough, but subtle editing delivers telling juxtapositions: the tut-tuttable idea of Imran having no say in his arranged marriage in Pakistan is immediately followed with the through-the-hoops ignominy of the UK Citizenship Test, which filmmaker Daisy Asquith would clearly have failed. Asquith herself is a gently authoritative presence; this is a tribute to the old-fashioned idea of letting a story unfold without deciding what the punchline is first, then working backwards.