Incendies (2010)

• Year: 2010
• Released: 12 Jan 2011
• Country: Canada, France
• Adwords: Nominated for 1 Oscar. 40 wins & 18 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255953/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/incendies
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/incendies
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: French, Arabic, English
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Drama, Mystery, War
• Runtime: 131 min
• Writer: Denis Villeneuve, Wajdi Mouawad, Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne
• Director: Denis Villeneuve
• Cast: Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette
• Keywords: prison, rape, twins, swimming pool, massacre,

	8.3/10
	80/100
	92% – Critics
	92% – Audience

Incendies Storyline

Canadian Nawal Marwan has just passed away. The only people at the reading of her will are her twin adult children, Jeanne and Simon Marwan, and the executor, Nawal’s long time employer and friend, notary Jean Lebel. The will contains many unusual requests, the most unusual being two sealed envelopes, one to be delivered by each of the twins to their father and to their brother respectively. The unusual nature of these requests are that their father as they know passed away years earlier during the war in Lebanon (where Nawal was raised) and they have no knowledge of any other offspring. Simon sees these requests as further indication that his mother was crazy and he will have no part of any of what he sees as her unusual final requests. But Jeanne wants to respect her mother’s final wishes, which means finding out who their real father is and who this unknown brother is. These tasks take Jeanne on a quest to Lebanon to trace her mother’s history, of which she knows little. As Jeanne goes on her quest with what little information she has on hand, she finds a history filled with turmoil. But many who knew her mother or knew of her mother refuse to speak to Jeanne. Jeanne ultimately requires Simon’s assistance who reluctantly joins her in Lebanon. But even Simon gets caught up in finding out about his father and brother when they are closer to piecing together the puzzle. Finding out about their mother’s past and thus their own history may enlighten them on why Nawal was the woman that she was.

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Incendies Movie Reviews

One word: INCREDIBLE!

Initially, the film can be a bit confusing due to them continually jumping back in time. Once you get the hang of it, though, and get to know the characters, it is easy enough to follow.

This is essentially two films in one: the story of a mother searching for the son she had to give up at birth, and a story about twins searching for their father, and a brother they never knew they had. The film takes us on an incredible journey filled with action, suspense, drama, and more than just a few twists.

‘Incendies’ effectively illustrates the horrors of war, and killings in the name of religion. What an absolutely fantastic script. This is one of the most amazing films I’ve seen in a while.

A stunning and powerful thriller

Want to see where one of the modern era’s hottest directing streaks started? If you do, then Incendies in the film for you.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, who went from this French/Canadian co-production to move onto Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival and last year’s brilliant sequel Blade Runner 2049, Incendies is the Oscar nominated film that put Villeneuve on the path he finds himself on now and remains a film of substantial power these years on from initial release.

Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad’s play of the same name, Incendies is a multi-layered narrative that spans both numerous countries and numerous characters over various timelines but Villeneuve controls his film perfectly as the mystery that lays at the heart of this tale about family, war, life and death never gets muddled as we’re drawn further and further into a film that wraps us up in its web and refuses to let us go.

There’s not the abundance of filmmaking and visual flair that Villeneuve has started to become known for over his more recent Hollywood productions but Incendies power comes almost exclusively from Villeneuve’s deft hand with his performers, his handling of a script that other filmmakers would struggle to bring to life and his ability to slowly ebb out more information as we go, that by the time we come to realise just what lays in store for the films characters, the power of Incendies becomes even more apparent.

Saying to much about this story would be a disservice to a film that takes many various turns and pivots. Essentially at its core, a story of both twins Jeanne and Simon Marwan trying to uncover the secret of their father they’ve never met and find a brother they never knew they had after their Middle Eastern born mother Nawal passes away, Incendies becomes so much more than a typical family drama as it showcases time in the conflict of the Israeli and Palestinian Holy Wars, as well as the twins journey back to their country of nationality.

The film in many ways showcases a different side to Villeneuve and proves the director is just as at home handling a $150 million plus Sci-Fi for a major Hollywood studio as he is behind the camera of a small intimate drama that is driven purely by its narrative and characters. Proof the filmmaker is a man of many talents and a director to be cherished by those that love cinema.

Final Say –

For any fans of Villeneuve’s work, world cinema or powerful character driven dramas, then Incendies should be a film you seek out as soon as possible. Losing none of its power since its initial release, this sometimes hard to watch but always enthralling film is standout filmmaking and the official blasting off point for one of the modern era’s great filmmakers.

5 swimming pools out of 5

A bit confusing, actually…and a great illustration of the phrase ‘TMI’

Whether or not “Incendies” is a good or bad film, one thing that struck me was that for the longest time I had no idea where the film was taking place or the context for the film. I am sure I am not the only one who felt this way watching the move. I thought that perhaps it was taking place in North Africa or Lebanon–I just wasn’t sure. A bit later, it became more obvious–but only because I knew a bit about he history of Lebanon and their long and amazingly destructive civil war. Because of this, it really would behoove the viewer to read up on the war BEFORE watching the movie–then it will be a bit easier to follow.

The film begins in the French-speaking portion of Canada. Two young adults are at the reading of their mother’s will and are in for some surprises. First, their father, despite what they’d been told, is NOT dead. Second, they have a brother! The rest of the film consists of the daughter going in search of these folks and eventually the brother going to Lebanon in search of his sister–who seems to have just disappeared.

From this point, the film bounces back and forth from the past to the present day. This can be a bit confusing–you have to really pay attention to keep track. I know that this sort of yo-yo cinema has become more popular in recent years, but I really wish they’d stop doing this and make films in a much more linear fashion. You do learn that the mother’s life was hellacious but you also learn that the two children certainly did NOT need to know about their hidden past! I am pretty darn sure I wouldn’t want to learn what they learned about this. And, I also predicted this awful truth well before it was divulged in the movie–making it a bit of an icky anti-climax. I thought the film was interesting but also pretty unpleasant from start to finish.

By the way, the film is very, very adult–with many adult themes and lots of bloody violence. Now I am NOT saying it was gratuitous–but it’s not a film for kids or anyone who doesn’t a realistically violent film. Folks getting burned alive or getting shot in the head at close range are among the things you see and, fortunately, the rapes are underplayed but still make this a super-adult film.