Featuring a unique mix of religion, culture, family and history, Denis Villenueve's Incendies is a a rare film experience that simultaneously pulls at your heartstrings and enhances your mind. In short, it isn't one that you need to see, but one that you simply must.
When their mother Nawal passes away, her will leaves detailed instructions to her surviving twins: deliver a pair of envelopes - one to their father whom they thought was dead and one to a brother they never knew existed. What follows is a trying journey that will force a pair to confront their mother's unknown past, discovering her roots as they track down parts of their family they aren't entirely sure they want to know.
Poised and collected, Denis Villenueve's film is a courageous look at the politics and history of the Middle East. Featuring a quartet of amazing performances, an engaging soundtrack that often features silent sequences of action, and an unforgettable story, Incendies is the perfect example of what film can do. And much of what it does is left to the imagination of the viewer. Rather than dive into the on-screen violence, Villenueve opts to leave much of that to the eye of the beholder. The director does show was is needed to create an intelligent film, but his own dislike of film violence allows him to concentrate more on the emotions of the characters, rather than the on-screen bloodshed.
Presented at such an even pace, it is hard to believe that so much has happened once the story's conclusion is revealed. Enriching your emotions and teasing you mind, it is a film that takes no prisoners as it unveils a journey, one you simply must experience to fully understand.
