AllMovie

It marked a sickening and devastating second act to 9/11: On July 7, 2005, a series of bombs set by terrorists exploded on the London subways. Over 700 people were severely injured, and 56 people killed; authorities later discovered a videotape from one of the jihadists, declaring his sect at war with Great Britain. Rachid Bouchareb's drama London River puts a human face on this tragic event via the fictional stories of two people whose lives are turned inside out by the cataclysm. Ousmane (Sotigui Kouyate) is a Muslim living in France, while Mrs. Sommers (Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn) is a Christian war widow living on the British Channel Isles. Though unacquainted, and with different religious backgrounds, these strangers find themselves united in the city of London and linked by a shared tragedy: Each has lost touch with a child amid the attacks -- Mrs. Sommers, a daughter named Jane, and Ousmane, a son named Ali -- and it just so happens that the two were dating. Together, the pair begin combing the city and searching for their loved ones, bound by the hope that both children survived.