Incendies

Above: Lubna Azabal in a scene from Incendies.


INCENDIES
Dir. by Denis Villeneuve

Incendies is a film that Canada can be very proud of. It is brilliantly acted and exquisitely shot, with a story that is ultimately quite original and somewhat devastating.

The film opens with two twins, Jeanne and Simon, who are having their mother Nawal's will read to them by it's executor (their mother's former boss). The will begins typically, with a request to have the twins divide her assets as they see fit. However, the reading soon takes an unexpected twist when the executor produces two letters. One is for Jeanne, to be delivered to their father (whom they believe to be dead). The other is addressed to Simon, and is to be delivered to their brother (whom they had no idea existed). After an argument with Simon, Jeanne takes both letters and embarks on a quest to the Middle East to seek out the truth of her mother's past. The rest of the film unfolds with scenes cutting between Jeanne's present day quest, and flashbacks depicting Nawal's past.

The film is a very ambitious project, and is filmed in a very intense style. It is made clear at the beginning of the film what direction the film is going to go in, and the film immediately blazes down a trail of family secrets, all pointing back to Jeanne as she tries to piece together the horrors of Nawal's past.

Villeneuve directs the project with passion, being sure to use just the right balance of close-up and wide shots to not only constantly depict his character's emotions but also to demonstrate the crushing fate of a war torn Lebanon. The screenplay is also very clever, combining just the right amount of mystery and heartbreak, making the film's inevitable conclusion very poignant (and extremely shocking).

The film's only real complication is its length. At 130 minutes, one gets the feeling that maybe not all of the scenes are necessary to give the film the same devastating impact it ends up having. However, at the same time there is no one scene that could be pointed directly to and called unnecessary. It is somewhat frustrating, but in the end the only thing that bothered me about the film. When was it going to end?

It should also be noted that the ending to this film is a complete shock, and causes the entire tone of the film to change. It is somewhat heartbreaking to see Jeanne and Simon come to the conclusion that they really knew nothing about their mother at all. As the audience follows Nawal in flashbacks, a shocking twist is added into the story that ends up having a devastating impact on the lives of Jeanne and Simon.

Overall, the film is a very enjoyable project and certainly an ambitious one that I am proud to say was produced by my native country of Canada. For those interested in films about mystery, war, and a mother's undying love for her children, this is a film not to be missed.

3.5/4

NOTE: Incendies is produced by the Canadian province of Quebec. As such, it is a French language film with English subtitles.