London River

It’s 2005 and extremists have just detonated bombs in the underground and on a bus in London. Remember that? Seems like forever ago, right? Well, this movie relives the event through the eyes of two parents: one a rural, English widower and the other a tall, French-speaking black Algerian, both of whom are looking for their kids who have disappeared in the wake.

What transpires is a massive shock to the mother: her daughter has converted to Islam, and she has been spending time with the Algerian man’s son. She fears the worst and takes out her racism and prejudices on the steely man, who turns out to be just as concerned and more similar to her than she could ever have imagined. As one would predict, tragedy brings the strangers to a common ground of understanding.

While the film is engaging enough, it feels contrived and comes across as lacking sincerity, which is a pity given the acting talents of the two leads. Wait for the DVD release of this one.

Rating: 3 outta 5.