Incendies

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Incendies

R

2011

2h 10m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

124 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Nawal (Lubna Azabal), a dying Middle Eastern woman living in Montreal, leaves separate letters to her twin children to be read once she passes away. Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) is to deliver hers to the father the twins never knew, and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) is to give his to the brother they never knew they had. The siblings travel to the Middle East separately, where they each experience acts of brutality, uncover a startling family history, and have revelations about themselves.

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Critics Consensus

It's messy, overlong, and a touch melodramatic, but those flaws pale before Incendies' impressive acting and devastating emotional impact.

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Roger Clarke

Sight & Sound

06/28/2011

Incendies acquires its heft from some very deep places -- Greek tragedy rather than newsflashes.

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Robbie Collin

News of the World

06/25/2011

2/5

Normally I'm against decent original stories being dumbed down and squashed into bog-standard thriller shapes. But Incendies is in dire need of some dumbing down.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

06/24/2011

4/5

It isn't easy to open out a well-respected stage play without losing a lot of its bite and subtlety.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

08/12/2024

5/5

…this might not be his best known work, but Incendies is probably Villeneuve's best film to date; if you’re willing to witness the aftermath of unspeakable events, it’s a particularly potent exploration of the twisted morality of a terrorist act…

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Ray Pride

Newcity

07/04/2024

10/10

The steely elegance of Villeneuve’s emphatic camera movements and framing are as much of the “story” as the terrors past unearthed by two grown, yet innocent children.

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Rohan Naahar

The Indian Express

03/09/2024

Before he was surfing the sand dunes of Arakkis, Denis Villeneuve was telling a more searing story about overzealous characters waging a holy war in the desert.

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Grant H

@dj530 May 3

Denis Villanueve's first masterpiece, Incendies investigates the annals of war and the bottom of the barrel morals and values that can become of its grip. Heart wrenching, shocking, and a sadness level rarely depicted in film, the ending and message will stay with you forever.

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Andy B

@AndyB21 Apr 20

Bleak as hell, but an absolutely incredible film. Maybe the ending stretches coincidence a little too far, but damn.....that twist.

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Alain E

@AlainE Apr 17

This is truly a masterpiece, about a difficult subject. The narrative progresses with frequent flashbacks that at time can be disorienting if you are not familiar with Arabic facial features and you confuse the mother with her daughter. The story includes a very complicated family situation and the senseless violence that has affected the Middle East, which unfortunately continues to the present day. For this reason, I assume that it was easy to find destroyed villages to act as scenery. Very well photographed and interpreted. Very good musical score with two Radiohead songs and a haunting classical song with the final credits. On Tubi.

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MBI M

@MNZGamerX Mar 22

This movie doesn't need a review, it just needs to be watched. It has become renowned for very good reason and if you have the patience, as the story develops slowly, it will reward you and blow your mind.

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Dr. C.

@RT41658839 Mar 13

It's obvious why this is called Villeneuve’s first masterpiece. The story is emotional and engaging, and follows a theme introduced early in the movie when a character speaks about the "Collatz Conjecture." A theme of chaos all coming back to one point in the end, and this film certainly portrays that. All this, coupled with Villeneuve’s signature empty landscapes and isolating shots, creates a movie that burrows into your mind and lingers.

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Sávio S

@s.miranda-7 Mar 12

o filme é lento, dependendo de quem assiste pode desistir no meio do caminho, mas é impactante, forte, mostra como a crueldade do mundo não faz distinções e juízo de valor.

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Denis Villeneuve

Director

Lubna Azabal

Nawal Marwan

Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin

Jeanne Marwan

Maxim Gaudette

Simon Marwan

Rémy Girard

Notaire Jean Lebel

Abdelghafour Elaaziz

Abou Tarek

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Synopsis

Nawal (Lubna Azabal), a dying Middle Eastern woman living in Montreal, leaves separate letters to her twin children to be read once she passes away. Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) is to deliver hers to the father the twins never knew, and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) is to give his to the brother they never knew they had. The siblings travel to the Middle East separately, where they each experience acts of brutality, uncover a startling family history, and have revelations about themselves.

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Producer: Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Screenwriter: Denis Villeneuve, Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne, Wajdi Mouawad
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: TS Productions, micro_scope, Phi Group
Rating: R (Strong Violence|Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Arabic
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 22, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 10, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.9M
Runtime: 2h 10m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)