London River (2009) - film review

After the London bombings of July 2005, an anxious mother, Elisabeth, tries to get in touch with her daughter.  When she fails to reach her on her mobile phone, Elisabeth leaves her home in Guernsey and travels to London to look for her daughter on foot.  The police are unable to help her and Elisabeth soon becomes desperate.  Then she meets Ousmane, a man who has come over from France to look for his missing son.  They continue their search for their loved ones together...

There are two reasons why this is a difficult film to watch.  Firstly, it brings back memories of a terrible day, 7th July 2005, on which four deluded fanatics slaughtered 52 innocent people as a futile protest against the Iraq War.  For some, particularly those living and working in London at the time, the scars of that awful day still remain and seeing the events portrayed in a film of this kind is unlikely to be a comforting experience.  However, the main reason why the film is so painful to watch is because it uses this tragic event as the starting point for a truly risible piece of drama.  The film has been praised in some quarters for its authenticity but it is hard to see much beyond the woeful accumulation of clichés and stereotypes that it presents. 

It would be easy to write London River off as misguided and thoughless were it not for the arresting contributions from the two principal actors, Brenda Blethyn and Sotigui Kouyaté.  In spite of the hackneyed and entirely predictable screenplay that they are saddled with, these two actors hold our attention and succeed in conveying the torment that their respective characters have to endure in the aftermath of the bombings.  Had more attention been given to the script, this could been something really special, rather than a film that is borderline mediocre and mildly offensive.

© filmsdefrance.com 2009

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