Written and directed by multiple Genie Award winner Québécois Denis Villeneuve, Incendies is a Canadian French movie adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's critically acclaimed play Scorched. The director whose previous efforts included the likes of Genie award winners Maelström (2001) and Polytechnique (2010) as produced his best work so far in 'Incendies'. The movie was nominated for the Oscars in the Best Foreign Film category. The movie is a thought-provoking tale of sorrow, film complet en français war, mystery, discovery of relationships and gut-wrenching emotions.
Incendies is the story of the twins, Jeanne Marwan (elder) and Simon Marwan (younger) who go on a journey to the middle-east as wished by their recently deceased mother Nawal Marwan, as stated in her, to uncover the mystery of their elder brother and real father, whom neither have never met nor have ever heard of. As per her mother's direction, they were to deliver two sealed letters from their mother, one to their elder brother and one to their father. Jeanne decides to travel to middle-east to uncover the mysteries of their lost and unknown family members, much to her brother's disapproval.
Jeanne's senior professor, provides her with a contact at the University of Daresh. Jeanne builds on the lead and attempts to retrace her family's history. The movie alternates between different timelines with the main focus on the their mother Nawal Marwan's and her life as a young women in a war torn middle-eastern country in the violent grip of a sectarian violence and a nationalist movement. As the story unfolds, an educated and liberal Christian Nawal Marwan is seen caught in a fiercely brutal conflict that has her leaving her newborn to an orphanage as later on sacrificing her ideology of peace and love, and choosing a violent recourse instead.
As these mysteries gradually unravel, Jeanne realizes the emotions are too powerful for her and begs her brother to join her. Together, they continue their search, also helped by the family notary Jean Lebel. As it unravels, it starts to dawn upon them that their own lives are more closely related to these events of the past than they could have ever imagined. Interspersed with shocking revelations at each turn, it's still hard to prepare oneself for the emotionally explosive final act.
Incendies is a completely rewarding experience. The direction of Denis Villeneuve and great performances by the lead, especially Lubna Azabal (as Nawal) and Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin (as Jeanne), is sure to make you feel as if you are a part of this intense emotional journey.
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