London River
London River | |
---|---|
Directed by | Rachid Bouchareb |
Written by | Olivier Lorelle Rachid Bouchareb |
Produced by | Rachid Bouchareb Jean Bréhat Bertrand Faivre Matthieu de Braconier |
Starring | Brenda Blethyn Sotigui Kouyaté |
Cinematography | Jérôme Alméras |
Edited by | Yannick Kergoat |
Music by | Armand Amar |
Release dates |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Languages | English French |
London Riveris a 2009 Britishdrama film,written and produced byFranco-Algerianfilm directorRachid Bouchareb.StarringBrenda BlethynandSotigui Kouyaté,it centres on the journey of two people searching for their children after the7 July 2005 London bombings.
Plot[edit]
In July 2005, BritishProtestantFalklands Warwidow Elisabeth Sommers (Blethyn), who is aGuernseyfarmer, and Francophone AfricanMuslimOusmane (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 byHasib Hussainwhen the bus they were travelling on exploded inTavistock Square.
It was shot in theUKandFrance.London locations includeHarringayandFinsbury Park,in particularBlackstock Road.
Cast[edit]
- Brenda Blethyn- Elisabeth Sommers
- Sotigui Kouyaté- Ousmane
- Roschdy Zem- Landlord
- Francis Magee- English Inspector
- Sami Bouajila- Imam
- Roschdy Zem- The Butcher
- Marc Baylis- Edward
- Bernard Blancan- Forestry worker
Critical reception[edit]
The film premiered at the59th Berlin International Film Festivalon 10 February 2009.[1]
The film received mixed reviews. TheEvening Standard'sDerek 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 Loachcouldn'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 fromTilda Swinton's Berlin jury ".[2]
Kaleem Aftab, writing inThe IndependentcalledLondon Riverthe "most talked about film at the Berlin Film Festival", but argued that "it was only [Sotigui] Kouyate'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".[3]
Having seen the Berlin premiere,Variety'sJay 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".[4]
The Hollywood Reporter'sDeborah 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 ".[5]
Awards[edit]
Sotigui Kouyaté won theSilver Bear Award for Best Actorat the 59th Berlin International Film Festival for his performance in the film.[6]The film also won a Special Mention by the Ecumenical Jury.[7]
References[edit]
- ^Brown, Mark (10 February 2009)."London River, a film set during aftermath of 7 July bombings, premieres at Berlin film festival".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 6 September 2013.Retrieved10 February2009.
- ^Malcolm, Derek (11 February 2009)."Ovation for Blethyn in London River".Evening Standard.Archivedfrom the original on 29 May 2010.Retrieved9 April2009.
- ^Aftab, Kaleem (17 February 2009)."London River: The film of the 7/7 bombing".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 21 April 2009.Retrieved9 April2009.
- ^Weissberg, Jay (10 February 2009)."Berlin: London River".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on 17 April 2009.Retrieved9 April2009.
- ^Young, Deborah (10 February 2009)."Film review: London River".Hollywood Reporter.Archived fromthe originalon 9 May 2009.Retrieved9 April2009.
- ^"The Awards of the International Jury 2009".Berlin International Film Festival.Archivedfrom the original on 3 March 2009.Retrieved9 April2009.
- ^"Prizes of the Independent Juries 2009".Berlin International Film Festival. Archived fromthe originalon 7 October 2009.Retrieved13 September2009.
External links[edit]
- London RiveratIMDb
- official websiteArchived17 December 2014 at theWayback Machine
- 2009 films
- 2000s British films
- 2000s English-language films
- 2000s French-language films
- 2009 drama films
- 2009 multilingual films
- British drama films
- British multilingual films
- English-language French films
- Films about racism
- Films about terrorism in Europe
- Films directed by Rachid Bouchareb
- Films scored by Armand Amar
- Films set in 2005
- Films set in Guernsey
- Films set in London
- Films shot in London
- July 2005 London bombings