Jean Charles

Jean Charles tells the true story of Jean Charles de Menezes, a young Brazilian immigrant living in London who is misidentified as a terrorist and fatally shot by police in the aftermath of the July 7, 2005 terrorist attacks that killed 52 people.

Jean Charles has been living in London for three years when his cousin Vivian arrives, having just emigrated from their small Brazilian hometown.  Distraught at first, Vivian is soon taken by Jean Charles’ infectious optimism.  For him, London is a city of opportunity.  Anyone from anywhere can make it with determination, enthusiasm and a little quick thinking.  There is never a shortage of opportunity in their tight-knit Brazilian community.  Jean Charles takes full advantage of this, using his connections to secure contracts as an electrician and helping out his friends in the process.  Life is good for Jean Charles.  He’s on his way up.  Despite being burned on a business deal, Jean Charles is determined to make it in his new homeland… that is, until that fateful July 21 morning. 

Gripped with fear and paranoia following the terror attacks, the British government struggled to cope with this unprecedented threat to their safety.  Like the US following 9/11, people of color found themselves under constant suspicion and scrutiny.  Oblivious of this cloud of mistrust, Jean Charles boarded the London Tube one morning innocently reading a newspaper when an elderly woman pointed him out to police.  Apparently, his description matched that of one the attack’s planners.  They stormed the train and shot and killed him in a moment of panic.

Focused primarily on Jean Charles’ life as an opportunistic newcomer in a land of opportunity, the film is mostly a study of the immigrant experience, and the hope and optimism of arriving in a new land.  Goldman quietly captures the struggles and small victories of this vibrant transplanted community while expertly recreating the tension of that painful summer.  Jean Charles is at once a powerful portrait of tragedy and a celebration of one family's quest to persevere in his memory.