I was a little unsure what to expect as we had all seen a very poor review and the subject matter (a white Christian woman and a black Muslim man looking for their adult children in the aftermath of the 7/7 London bombings) was obviously susceptible to crass and/or stereotypical presentation. However I had also found much better reviews on the Guardian and Telegraph websites and the presence of Brenda Blethyn in one of the two leading roles (no prizes for guessing which one!) gave me cause for optimism.
While it had flaws, I am happy to report that I enjoyed the film hugely - principally because the leading characters were very well written and played. Brenda Blethyn’s Elisabeth was a complex character so very different from the one-dimensional cardboard cutouts so often found in Hollywood blockbusters. Sotigui Kouyate’s Ousmane was less remarkable but equally sure footed and the contrast between the two was the subject of later discussion relating to male/female and European/African handling of emotions and the role played by African men in their families. Elisabeth had difficulty in coming to terms with the multicultural world embraced by her daughter and was quite naive in a number of ways. She expressed her bewilderment at both the ethnic mix of the area and her daughter’s learning of Arabic without either politically correct sensitivity or overt racism and her relationship with Ousmane also avoided the obvious traps of antipathy or romantic/sexual involvement. I felt that the script was unremarkable and the eventual outcome predictable, but the way in which the two character handled their bereavement highlighted the maturity of the writing and acting which was the hallmark of the film.
Happily I had the opportunity to share reflections with some other members after seeing the film. In addition to the points mentioned above we covered the relative cultural isolation (and distance from their children’s lives) of both characters, the non-stereotypical police characters and the major flaw in the script relating to the way in which the police informed them of their children’s deaths.
We also touched on the absence of some aspects of the post-bombing situation and agreed (I think) that the film was the better for not trying to capture the whole of a hugely complex situation. However I did feel that the (complete?) absence of white people from the area of London in which most of the film was set and the omission of visible emotions (anger, sadness, fear) in other characters were further flaws.
I thoroughly enjoyed the film and the discussion afterwards and hope others had as good a time as I did – and that they will forgive me any inaccuracies or omissions!
Other films we saw since then were: 'Vincere' and 'Made in Dagenham', both at the Theatr Clwyd. The former is the story of Mussolini's lover, Ida Dalser and their son, Albino. Worth seeing but, my, did we come out ever so slightly suicidal. Whereas the latter was almost the opposite, a well made, dependable and enjoyable film, where the serious matters were touched upon but not explored too seriously. The next film we'll see will be The King's Speech and hopefully, there will be many more to follow this year.
