London River

We have seen many films the deal, directly or indirectly, with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But now we’re starting to see films that address the 2005 terrorist attacks in London, including Jean Charles and London River, both of which I saw at this year’s TIFF. With fragile emotion, Brenda Blethyn plays a white, British Christian woman from the Isle of Guernsey, who travels to London to find her daughter who has gone missing. With a majestic dignity, Sotigui Kouyaté plays a black, Muslim African man from France who likewise seeks out his missing son. Ultimately, they discover their adult children had been living together and their disappearance is directly related to the attacks on the London public transit system. Director Rachid Bouchareb moves the film at a measured pace, studying the two distinctly different characters and bringing them together gradually. As with Jean Charles, this film does not look at the causes of the attacks at all—only the unforeseen, and tragic consequences. (7/10)