London River

It marked a sickening and devastating second act to 9/11: on July 7, 2005, a series of bombs exploded on the London subways, all ignited by terrorist extremists. Over 700 people were severely injured, 56 people killed; authorities later discovered a video tape 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 conflict, by relaying the fictional stories of two people whose lives are turned inside-out by the cataclysm. Ousmane (Sotigui Kouyate) is a Muslim living in France, Mrs. Sommers (Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn) a Christian war widow living on the British Channel Isles. Though unacquainted, with differing 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 so happens that the two were dating. Together, the couple begin combing the city and searching for their loved ones - bound by a hope that both children survive.