I enjoyed this made-for-TV movie. Its along the lines of something from Lifetime but is actually a CBC (Canadian) production. There's nothing fancy here but it's still a heartwarming story as the viewer follows various story lines about the passengers and friendships developed over a 4 day period (starting on September 11th, 2001) when 38 planes headed to New York were diverted to Gander Newfoundland, Canada. A town of 9,000 which took in 7,000 passengers until American airspace reopened.
The plot itself is compelling and there's some decent acting which makes up for the slow pace. I enjoyed (Shawn Ashmore) as the Air Traffic Controller; meeting and falling in love with British passenger Alia. (David Suchet) was a big surprise here, playing an obnoxious American, desperate for news of his son who worked in the World Trade Center. Another sweet romance develops between a middle aged pair of lonely travellers, and a Muslim American man immediately sees his world changed forever as he is racially profiled, raising suspicions based on his skin colour alone.
We also follow several Gander locals; a hotel manager, the Mayor as they try to accommodate anxious and scared passengers who aren't even sure where they are. Friendships remain to this day between the Canadian hosts and stranded British, European and American travellers. 4/12/15
