DVD Review: London River

11th October 2010

Many fellow Britons will remember the 7th July 2005 like it was yesterday. The country ground to a halt to watch 24 hour news, aghast at the horror that took over London’s public transport system as fifty two people lay dead or dying as a result of the first ever suicide attacks on the UK. London River picks up away from this chaos, on the Isle of Guernsey. We watch the green-fingered Elisabeth (Brenda Blethyn) tend her garden, go to church, and visit the grave of her husband, gently informing him of the family’s goings on.

Then, the news is switched on. Terror in London, hundreds injured, a bus ripped apart. Filled with concern for her student daughter, who rents in London, Elisabeth calls her, only to get voicemail. A day passes, and motherly concern turns to actual panic as Elisabeth decides to travel to London in search of her missing daughter.

Meanwhile, someone else is travelling to London, also in search of a missing child. Ousmane (Sotigui Kouyaté), a French speaking African Muslim, has not seen his son for years. With orders to bring him home, he sets off, with little but a name to search for. Thanks to some chance meetings, it becomes apparent that these two strangers have more in common than either would realise, and that their children may have known each other.

Director Rachid Bouchareb, who’s previous feature Days of Glory was Oscar nominated, is clearly interested in the meeting of these polar opposites. Ousmane is a slow and gentle giant, with long greying dreadlocks draping over his broad shoulders. Elisabeth, in contrast, is a busy-body, rushing around like any British mum does. Their cultural divide is huge, and evident at first. When they first meet, she won’t even shake his hand, opting instead to phone the police, as she fears his son may have ‘corrupted’ her daughter with the ways of Islam. It soon becomes clear, to the audience at least, that these two people actually need each other. It’s a shame then that the film decides to bob along as they go their separate ways (occasionally bumping in to one another) until about 65 minutes in. It feels like an intriguing relationship isn’t given enough time to breathe before the conclusion.

That said, both performances are excellent. Blethyn’s constant, pained expression, even through the occasional thin smile, really evokes how lost one must feel to be searching for a lost loved one. The underlying tension – what is the fate of the two offspring – is largely carried by Blethyn. In contrast, while Sotigui Kouyaté’s character does not betray his heartache so explicitly, you can see it deep in the eyes of his wise, lined face.

London River sets up an interesting, genuinely emotive story. A Palpable feeling of concern and grief is present throughout as the two parents move from checking police stations to hospitals to mortuaries. It just seems a shame that it’s two leads don’t get to share more quality time together.

Facebook

Google

Twitter

We hope you're enjoying BRWC. You should check us out on our social channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and tell your friends. BRWC is short for battleroyalewithcheese.