Langues désancrées: Le rôle du français dans London River (Rachid Bouchareb 2009)

Explorations of the link between language use and social power are steadily increasing in prominence in twenty-first century French cinema. This article examines the complex representation of multilingualism in London River (Rachid Bouchareb, 2009), exploring the role of French as what I call an unanchored language. The unanchored language is one which is used outside of its country of origin and by non-native speakers, and is thus removed from, or runs parallel to, the purview of traditional language politics. As shown in the use of French between a Guernsian woman and a Malian man in London River, the unanchored language can be a means of defusing or transcending tense scenarios of international violence and cross-cultural conflict, rather than exacerbating them.