Incendies

Posted 13 years ago by myetvmedia

8/10

Denis Villeneuve (“Un 32 Août sur Terre”,  “Maëlstrom”, “Polytechnique”) is one of Quebec’s most brilliant minds. He is a director you can always count on to bring you to places you have never been. This year Villeneuve picked up 9 Genies including best film and best director for “Polytechnique”. His fourth feature, “Incendies” is once again a gripping story of emotionally epic proportions set against the backdrop of our complicated modern world. Villeneuve’s amazing film, an adaptation of Wajdi Mouawad’s play, is a deeply probing look at familial love, war and the strength and determination of the human spirit.

 

Incendies has received rave reviews at the Toronto, Venice and Telluride Film Festivals. “Incendies” (as in scorching fire) reconstructs the life of Nawal Marwan (Lubna Azabal) after her untimely death through the eyes of her children who inherit her secrets.

 

At the reading of Nawal’s will, her children, twins Simon (Maxim Gaudette) and Jeanne  (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) find out from the notary (Rémy Girard) that their difficult, not to say harrowing relationship with their mother is far from over, and will continue even in her afterlife. The will’s revelations are shocking; the brother and sister discover that they have a father they thought dead and a brother they never knew existed. To execute their mother’s last wishes they are to travel to their mother’s homeland Lebanon, to find them.  Then they are to deliver two sealed envelopes to their estranged relatives. Only then will their mother soul rest in peace.

 

Villeneuve weaves the children and mother’s journeys into a heart-wrenching story, as we discover with horror Nawal’s mysterious and tragic past.

 

Villeneuve’s long-time accomplice, André Turpin’s cinematography is sublime. Lubna Azabal, one of my favorite actresses to emerge from Indy world cinema in the past few years, will take your breath away. My only disappointment is with some of the musical choices. The songs by Radio Head personally took me out of the film and to another place. But it is a very minor hiccup. Do not let that deter you from putting “Incendies” on the top of your list of must see movies.

 

Moira Romano

Incendies Trailer

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