Poor screenplay lets 'London River' down

Director: Rachid Bouchareb

Cast: Brenda Blethyn, Sotigui Kouyate

Cert: 12

In the wake of the London bombings of 2005, a single mother (Blethyn) tries without success to contact her daughter, who lives near the bombing location.

Meanwhile Muslim father (Kouyate) tries to make similar contact with his son … and with no luck in either of them doing so, the parents travel to London.

Of course, they meet up and discover that their children have been living together. Well, of course they have!

But what could have been a much better, more revealing, film is largely left to flounder in a mire of bogus moralising, additionally compounded by the ending most of the audience will have rapidly decided upon.

Two excellent central leads do their best but the screenplay simply doesn’t provide them with enough depth to bring home a film of substance.

Star Rating: 2/5