London River

With a great deal of tenderness and gritty realism, "Days of Glory"-director Rachid Bouchared tells the story of two strangers pushed together by the London bombings of July 7, 2005. In the realist mode of British directors such as Ken Loach, "London River" actualizes how conflicts sometimes actually have the power to draw people together.

A widow from Guernsey, played by Brenda Blethyn, and an African forester living in France, played by Sotigui Kouyaté, are united in the search for their missing children in North London in the aftermath of the bombings. Avoiding the expected clichés, the film subtly portrays middle-Englander Elizabeth's first meeting with the Muslim world, as she learns that her daughter was studying Arabic and living together with a Muslim man.

Without glossing over the tale's hard edges, using striking TV footage and authentic views of Northern London locations, Bouchard depicts England's multiracial society scarred by deep-seated prejudice but capable of change in the meeting between to individuals.
SHELLY JOHNSON