Incendies (2011)
Strong themes and violence
| Director: | Denis Villeneuve |
| Actors: | Lubna Azabal, Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Remy Girard |
When notary Lebel (Remy Girard) sits down with Jeanne and Simon Marwan (Melissa Desormeaux Poulin, Maxim Gaudette) to read them their mother Nawal's will (Lubna Azabal), the twins are stunned to receive a pair of envelopes - one for the father they thought was dead and another for a brother they didn't know existed. In this enigmatic inheritance, Jeanne sees the key to Nawal's retreat into unexplained silence during the final weeks of her life. She immediately decides to go to the Middle East to dig into a family history of which she knows next to nothing. Simon is unmoved by their mother's posthumous mind games. However, the love he has for his sister is strong, and he soon joins her in combing their ancestral homeland in search of a Nawal who is very different from the mother they knew. With Lebel's help, the twins piece together the story of the woman who brought them into the world, discovering a tragic fate as well as the courage of an exceptional woman. An adaptation of Wajdi Mouawad's hit play, Incendies is a deeply moving story that brings the extremism and violence of today's world to a starkly personal level, delivering a powerful and poetic testament to the uncanny power of the will to survive.
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 130mins |
| Origin: | CANADA |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
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Member Reviews (40)
40 Member
Reviews
says
Best film I have seen in a long time
Ana
says
Riveting movie from start to end. One of the best I've seen in a long time. The ending was definately an eye opener.
Barbara
says
Kept me engaged for the whole length of the film with superb camera work and narrative and great performances by the women particularly.
Kevin Virgen
says
If you need to be reminded how badly we treat each other on this planet this is for you. A dark dark movie .A good deal of escapism needed for an antidote.
Bron
says
This movie was mindblowing, not to mention harrowing! It had me riveted from the start - family secrets that were slowly revealed as the movie progressed - and culminating in a terrible secret that leaves you gobsmacked. The very final scene had me in tears, very tragic. That said, don't be put off! It is an amazing film, excellent acting, gritty and realistic. It is a French Canadian movie (sub-titled) and scenes switch frequently between the present in Canada and the past/present in a fictional Middle Eastern country. There are scenes that are emotionally harrowing - def not a movie for under 16 - but the violence is not overly graphic. This is one of the best movies I have seen in ages, highly recommended.
anne
says
Great movie, very involved andmoving with a really horrible twist at th end
says
The story starts in a dilapidated school room with a child seemingly beyond fear stairs blankly as his head is shaven by men carrying guns. The image pans to the child's heel where three dots are tattooed. Immediately one starts to wonder what is the significance of the tattoo? One also wonders will this movie simply be a continous stream of shooting and violence. It is not. A middle aged woman dies on the other side of the world, her children are left cryptic instructions to find a brother and a father of whom they know nothing. The story linking these seemingly disconnected scenes will shock you. The film is a journey of one woman through bigotry and torture to an inconceivable pinnacle of horror. Her children do not know of her past life. In the end you will understand why.
says
One of the best movies I've seen all year.
Prof. V.
says
A compelling story about one woman's resilience and love for her children. This movie was nominated under various film festivals. However the movie's storyline is slow-moving, intensifying only after half-way through. Definitely worth a watch if you love foreign language films, however not a family flick - as there are lots of talking, descriptions plus the language is not in English. Almost no action in the flick so definitely not for action movie buffs, more suited for drama buffs I would say. Because of the strong but slow-moving storyline and the interesting twist at the end regarding a father and a son, this movie is worth watching.
says
I was blown away by this movie. it has subtitles but the story is amazing. loved it
M E
says
A must see movie with a very interesting story line.
kathy
says
interesting story, though it had quite a twist at the end
says
a brilliant film - so well filmed, an extraordinary story of hardships, personal pain, Extremely highly rated
dianne
says
very compelling and thought provocting
Lissa
says
Incredible, thought provoking story which pivots around one remarkable woman and supported by good acting and direction. Well worth a watch and with a good twist ending - this one will stay with you.
says
Wonderful exploration of love and pain. Thoroughly recommend.
chin
says
Fantastic ware thriller with a great twist...
Larry
says
Could only handle 20 minutes of this one, I personally found it quite boring.
kimbo
says
Twins journey to the Middle East to discover their family history, and fulfill their mother's last wishes. This film is extraordinary on just about every level. The script is terrific, the actors are perfect, the direction and cinematography are all you could hope for. I recommend it without hesitation.
Cindy
says
Simply stunning. Part history lesson, part compelling human drama, and yes, a touch of potboiler towards the end I suppose. But given that it's never less than riveting to watch ( and at times, quite confronting to watch)and the performances and direction are excellent throughout; I was happy to accept a little bit of dramatic license . Recommended.
Yuki
says
I can't stop thinking about this film, yes it does hinge a rather improbable coincidence but it's executed so well that i believed and felt their pain and shock. It brought up so many thoughts and questions, especially it made me wonder about the unconditional love a mother has for her child regardless of who or what they become. This movie is haunting, tragic and will stay with you long after the final credits roll.
Mike Brindley
says
Much praised on release and it does indeed take us new and challenging places, but the story turns on such a creaky coincidence, you might just check out.
Eroy
says
Great movie, but a bit of a eye opener at the end though!
says
this is an excellant film
A must see thoight provoking film
says
This is a fantastic movie, I had to watch it twice. It was gut wrenching and an amazing story.
Gregory
says
A great confrontational movie that opens the eyes to the violent situation of the Middle East in the 70s
Susan
says
Didn't realize this was a foreign film.
Lisa
says
Loved this one. Brilliant.
avs
says
Just OK , worked out the plot pretty early and disappointed with the convieniant ending .
Meegz
says
one of the best real time stories I have seen. Believable to the end. You walk the shoes from start to finish. Their pain is felt, it's real
KS
says
Wow what an amaizing story. Sometimes it was confusing to diferentate the mother from the daughter at the beginning of some scenes but the story and setting soon sorted this out. Brilliant movie. Gripping and kept me there right to the end.
Nancy N
says
A very harrowing movie, extremely well done and acted. Grips you until the very end. Gives an insight into a totally different culture. Highly recommend it.
GlenH
says
Incendies has the one thing I prize in cinema above all else: a director with a strong personal style who can tailor it to the subject matter at hand. Unfortunately Denis Villeneuve's style is deployed in the service of a pot-boiler of a story. At first it's merely forgettable stuff: a mechanistic cycle of violence told through the prism of a straightforward detective story in which neither the detective nor her quarry emerge as anything more than plot tokens. But by the time it piles on its last lurid, contrived twist it becomes truly risible: an art house exploitation film in which the most painful, improbable scenario its makers could contrive is made palatable through an ostensibly laudable, yet astonishingly wrong-headed, paean to forgiveness.
Anne
says
Fabulous story telling, a modern tale, outstanding movie.
Helen
says
Powerful but ugly story. Confrontational to watch.
Tilsa
says
Great movie, loved it
Mel
says
Its all in sub titles, was not happy about that
The_Franch
says
Brilliant!
Denise
says
Very grim movie but full of hope, well worth watching and the end is so surprising.
mausie
says
amazing movie! loved it. the twist at the end will knock your socks off!