Incendies
2010 · Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Original language: French
- drama
- war
- mystery
The story
A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.
What it’s like
Stark, sun-bleached desert and crumbling Montreal interiors shot in cool, muted tones, with the heat of the Middle East rendered as a dusty haze that presses against the frame. Villeneuve favours composed, locked-off wides and long takes that let grief and silence settle, while flashbacks cut in with harsher contrast, bleached whites and scorched ochres giving way to the grey-blue of wartime memory. The score is sparse and wounded, built from low strings and distant percussion, and the silences often weigh more than the dialogue. Its vibe is severe, elegiac and slow-burning, with a mood of dread and mounting revelation rather than shock. The violence is real and at times brutal, including a massacre and scenes of cruelty against civilians, but it is shown with restraint rather than gore, and some sequences of sexual violence and torture are deeply uncomfortable. This suits a quiet, focused evening for viewers who want a serious, emotionally heavy mystery about inheritance, war and the search for the truth of who you are, and it is not a fit for anyone seeking something gentle.
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