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To be honest, there is nothing left to say story-wise after this film. The tragedy, atmosphere and everything...

As an admirer of Dennis Villeneuve's filmography thanks to his work in past years, I was already familiar with how much of a brilliant storyteller he is. Yet, Incendies is no different. Beautifully structured script, visuals, soundtrack...

Lastly, the intro, along with Radiohead's "You and Whose Army?" is probably the one of the best I've ever witnessed easily.

When people watch the Oscars, they don't usually care about the Best Foreign Film nominees. Incendies provides so many reasons why people should actually get to see those nominees at all costs. Incendies is the kind of film that one walks away from feeling emotionally drained, one where it stays in the viewer's mind for days on end. Like an intense personal experience, it takes a lot to come to grips with the film's story, a moving plot full of twists and catharsis. At the New Directors/New Films Festival in New York, at which I saw this last night, Denis Villeneuve explained that he has made four films in Canada, but this is the first one to be released in America. Right now, I see no reason why Villeneuve, or any of the actors for that matter, shouldn't have a great future ahead of them.

Based on the play Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad, Incendies follows a non-linear plot that spans two generations. In the present day, Jeanne and Simon are twins who have lost their mother, Nawal. Nawal has stipulated in her will that Jeanne and Simon must return an envelope to the brother they didn't know existed who is currently living in a fictional Middle Eastern country. Only then can the twins give Nawal a proper burial. Jeanne feels obligated to return the letter, so she goes to the Middle East, only to realize some of Nawal's nastiest secrets. As Jeanne uncovers more about Nawal, the viewer is shown Nawal's story. The film builds up to an unforgettable ending that is sure to rock any viewer.

Incendies already had great source material. I've praised the plot enough, but one thing I must add is that the play is apparently four hours long, according to Villeneuve. It's impressive that this movie succeeds so nicely because I can't imagine that anything was cut. But to back up that source material, there's some really great acting. The entire cast plays their parts with such an emotional vigor that it seems impossible that this work of art wasn't autobiographical.

Furthermore, Villeneuve has made a film that relies on great filmmaking to impact the viewer. The cinematography is beautifully bland, surely a nod to some of the deserts in the Lebanon- like land where the movie takes place. Color scheme is also used to Villeneuve's advantage to show the parallels between Nawal and Jeanne's lives. Villeneuve seems to love working with extended zoom shots that shock the viewer with their overwhelmingly long silences. Why Villeneuve didn't receive critical acclaim (in America, at least) before Incendies is a mystery.

There are many movies about the Middle East. Some have failed miserably in their attempts to strike an emotional chord with critics and viewers alike (Redacted, Rendition), but others have been extremely successful (The Hurt Locker, Lebanon). Incendies could very well be one of the best films ever made about the conflicts in the Middle East. It has its flaws which keep it from being a masterpiece (maybe it could've lost five or ten minutes), but it is that rare type of film that really resonates beyond the initial viewing. Hopefully, Incendies will be remembered for years to come as the little, brilliant film that spawned the great fame of Denis Villeneuve.

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

There are secrets to be uncovered now she has passed, the undiscovered stories, that she'd amassed, a father and a brother, you didn't know, could there be others, it's time to lift the bedrock, of the past. You make a visit to a country, in the east, where friction, conflict, war, chaos, have seldom ceased, walking footsteps left in shadow, as you plough a lonely furrow, a record slowly forming, piece by piece. You discover revelations, tragedy; events of circumstance and shocking gravity, an uncontrived coincidence, implications beyond immense, that point to why your mother had to run and flee.

One of the best films you'll come across, brilliantly directed and performed, heart wrenching and packed full of emotion and turmoil.

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.

Anyone who has seen any of Villeneuve's previous work--or Andre Turpin's Zigrail--knows that these filmmakers have bodies of work that are almost without peer in contemporary cinema world-wide and are unparallelled in the history of Canadian cinema (until seeing Incendies, Maelstrom was my favourite Canadian film). Incendies does not betray that "legacy". You should absolutely see it.

In a film as stunning as this one it's odd to single out one aspect, but I must say that Lubna Azabal's performance is among the best I've ever seen. Though I've watched a few films that she's been in in the past, she never really stood out for me. She is devastatingly good in this picture.

I do hope that this film gets submitted to the AMPAS for Oscar selection as it is definitely the best film I've seen this year and a shoe-in for the foreign picture Oscar.

My only complaint about the film was the use of music by Radiohead, which took me out of the film each time it played. The rest of the music cues were spot-on and quite excellent, but Thom Yorke's voice belonged nowhere near this film.

Denis Villeneuve has created nothing less than a masterpiece. This film is revealing a great Director, especially when given an original story with such powerful dimensions.

Despite being skeptical as first of the film being shot in Jordan, when dealing with the very specific, multidimensional Lebanese drama, the geographic distance with the land of Lebanon is detaching the film from the strict reality of the place and taking it to whole other level of significance. Jordan's landscape especially with the film's photography, are somewhat surrealistic, as if the story was taking place in a deep level of the region's sub-conscious.

Villeneuve has managed to delicately craft a story with dimensions that a human mind in its normal condition is not prepared to understand and confront. And yet these things did happen, many times during the war and retelling them is a very not an easy task. Actually a quasi impossible one and yet Villeneuve did it.

This has to be the film representing Canada at the Oscars. And it will win.

How stupid iam to postpone this movie for 6 months watching all other stuff.... I've underrated this movie watching trailer 😑

During the reading of the will of their mother's, a twin brother and sister learn of some unusual last wishes. Amongst other requests, two envelopes need to be delivered to respectively the father of the two and a brother whom are both unknown. The quest leads the twins through the Middle East where they slowly learn of the horrific tales which is the life history of their late mother.

The movie tells a very graphic but endearing story, perfectly shot and acted allowing the viewer to get fully immersed into the journey and findings of the twins. Through flashbacks we learn about the hardship of the mother and, eventually, the fate of the father and brother. As a treat, there is a great twist at the end which is really the icing on the cake.

Highly recommended.

92/100

Purely marvelous. Life like. I almost fell asleep in the beginning. After 20 min, till the last 15min, was pure suspense.

It is a rare person who understands themselves fully. Few people even try to understand. So when it comes to knowing others deeply, even those close to us, the task is nearly impossible. Incendies delves into this seemingly hopeless undertaking.

Upon the death of their unusual and troubled mother, Nawal, twins Jeanne and Simon are given surprising and difficult assignments under her will; tracking down a father they thought was dead, finding a brother they never knew they had, and delivering mysterious letters from their mom to each of them. The journey begins in Lebanon where Nawal's footsteps are retraced. Shocking revelations are revealed about Nawal including; forbidden love, an honor killing, a stolen baby, violent militias, refugees, prison, torture, massacres, assassination and more. The twins discover a country caught in a chain of anger from which it struggles to free itself. Within the conflagrations are keys to understanding their mom, their family, and themselves.

Incendies is a deeply moving and explosive (literally and figuratively) glimpse into the heart of Lebanon and human nature. It is my second favorite film of all time. Scenes are raw and jolting, and none more so than the final revelation. This is part of Villeneuve's genius; the surprising scenes that come without the usual preludes (the revealing music like in Jaws, the intuitive responses, and obvious build-ups). He suddenly cuts through sense and emotion simultaneously. Boom! Through flashbacks and ambient sound contrasted with eerie Radiohead tracks, Villeneuve crafts something unique and thrilling. Lubna Azabal (Nawal) is perfect for the part. Incendies is based on a play by Wajdi Mouawad and filmed in Jordan and Quebec. I love Incendies mostly because it carries a profound and urgently needed message about how we judge and diminish other people and cultures, and how we can otherwise lift them up through sympathy, understanding and mercy.

I had the pleasure of attending a screening of Incendies at the Telluride film festival and was absolutely shattered by it. This meticulously crafted film was my favorite of the festival.

Stuff happens and you'll be like NO WAY and then the film goes even further and you'll be like WHOA OKAY WHAT and then even further and you'll be like OH MY GOD and then even further still and you'll be like HOW CAN THIS BE HAPPENING OH MY GOD PLEASE and then it'll just keep going even further and further and further and by the end of the film you'll just be a steamy, shattered mess like I was.

Characters and events throughout are depicted with the subtlety and prowess of a master filmmaker. I don't want to spoil anything, but there were numerous moments in the screening that I attended when the audience was vocally reacting to moments on screen that were extremely visceral and affecting.

Beautiful, powerful film.

This is a superb film. Best film of the year in my estimation bar none. This exceptional Canadan film should easily win best Foreign film at the Oscars.

Directing, photography, cinematography, casting, acting all outstanding. The film also has something to say on the nature of hate and violence.

Unfortunately this wonderful film will neither be seen nor appreciated by a wide audience.

Denis Villeneuve has created a fabulous film. He has done an immense job taking this from novel to the screen.

This movie needs more recognition i couldn't believe it was released in 2010 it is that kind of movie which will stick until you die do watch this movie with little patience every aspect of the movie is masterpiece i.e cinematography,editing,screenplay,music,direction,performance this is the only movie i consider best after the shawshank redemption and it deals with somewhat same thing i.e.hope just watch this movie and get prepared to be amazed