''London River'' is a 2009 British-French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

, written and produced by

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

n film director

Rachid Bouchareb Rachid Bouchareb (born 1 September 1953) is a French film director and producer. His films are based on the complex history of France and its relationship with its former colony, Algeria. His films also examine racial discrimination and conflic ...

. Starring Brenda Blethyn and Sotigui Kouyaté, it centres on the journey of two people searching for their children after the

7 July 2005 London bombings The 7 July 2005 London bombings, often referred to as 7/7, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamic terrorists in London that targeted commuters travelling on the city's public transport system during the mo ...

Plot

In July 2005, British

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

Falklands War widow Elisabeth Sommers (Blethyn), who is a Guernsey farmer, and Francophone African Muslim Ousmane (Kouyaté) are strangers who meet in London. She is searching for her daughter, and he for his son, following the London bombings. Neither is close to their missing child. They fear that the daughter and son were killed in the bombings. They discover that they were a couple who lived together in a flat in London who planned to travel to France, but were killed by Hasib Hussain when the bus they were travelling on exploded in

Tavistock Square Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. History Tavistock Square was built shortly after 1806 by the property developer James Burton and the master builder Thomas Cubitt for Francis Russell, 5th Duke ...

. It was shot in the UK and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. London locations include

Harringay Harringay (pronounced ) is a district of north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the New River, where it crosses Green Lanes by Finsbury Park, and Duckett' ...

and

Finsbury Park Finsbury Park is a public park in the London neighbourhood of Harringay. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal Borough of Hornsey. It was one of the first of the great London parks ...

, in particular Blackstock Road.

Cast

* Brenda Blethyn - Elisabeth Sommers * Sotigui Kouyaté - Ousmane *

Roschdy Zem Roschdy Zem (born 27 September 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker of Moroccan descent. He shared the award for Best Actor for his role in the film '' Days of Glory'' at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Career Versatile and determined to not ...

- Landlord *

Francis Magee Francis Magee (born 7 June 1959) is an Irish actor. He portrayed Liam Tyler in British soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1993 to 1995. He has also appeared in numerous television shows and feature films, including ''Sahara'' (2005), ''Layer Cake' ...

- English Inspector *

Sami Bouajila Sami Bouajila (born 26 May 1966) is a French actor who has won two César Awards. Bouajila has worked and acted in two Oscar nominated films ('' Days of Glory'' and '' Outside the Law''), both directed by director Rachid Bouchareb. Early life Bo ...

- Imam *

- The Butcher * Marc Baylis - Edward *

Bernard Blancan Bernard Blancan (born 9 September 1958) is a French actor. He has appeared in more than 85 films and television shows since 1989. He shared the award for Best Actor for his role in '' Days of Glory'' at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival The 59th Ca ...

- Forestry worker

Critical reception

The film premiered at the

59th Berlin International Film Festival The 59th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 5 February to 15 February 2009. The opening film of the festival was Tom Tykwer’s '' The International'', screened out of competition. Costa-Gavras's immigrant drama '' Eden Is West'' se ...

on 10 February 2009. The film received mixed reviews. The ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

's'' Derek Malcolm gave the film four stars out of five, stating: "Bouchareb's portrait of London after the terrorist attacks is startlingly accurate and there's a genuine feel for all of the players.

Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty ('' Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessn ...

couldn't have done much better. This is a film no Londoner should miss: humane, stunningly acted, it will be a gross injustice if it doesn't win a prize from

Tilda Swinton Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition t ...

's Berlin jury". Kaleem Aftab, writing in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' called ''London River'' the "most talked about film at the Berlin Film Festival", but argued that "it was only otiguiKouyate's performance that lifted an otherwise dull and predictable film that avoided any meaningful discussion about the effect of the terrorist attack around which the story was shaped". Having seen the Berlin premiere, '' Variety's'' Jay Weissberg stated that the film "trumpets political correctness far more loudly than this intimate drama can stand. Though the ending proves effective, Bouchareb and his co-scripters employ simplistic stereotypes and obvious counterpoints that shouldn't need to be spelled out so literally. Still, with its heart in the right place and the majestic presence of Malian thesp Sotigui Kouyate, the pic will get a decent international run before heading to its originally skedded home on the smallscreen". ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

's'' Deborah Young states that "French director Rachid Bouchareb ('' Days of Glory'') brings great sensitivity to the fictionalized tale, which goes a step beyond the obvious in its description of England's multiracial society scarred by deep-seated prejudice but capable of change. Without glossing over the tale's hard edges, the film ends on a positive note of ethnic tolerance that should make it more accessible to audiences".

Awards

Sotigui Kouyaté won the Silver Bear Award for Best Actor at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival for his performance in the film. The film also won a Special Mention by the Ecumenical Jury.

References

External links

*
official website
{{Rachid Bouchareb 2009 drama films 2009 films British drama films English-language French films Films about racism Films about terrorism in Europe Films directed by Rachid Bouchareb Films set in 2005 Films set in London Films set in Guernsey Films shot in London 2000s French-language films July 2005 London bombings 2000s British films