Incendies (2011)

Though sometimes it seems as though information is given to us slightly too early, this often leads to some decent dramatic irony and does 'distract' from - and thereby make all the more impactful - the flick's big, blindsiding final reveal which is essentially as shocking as it is sickening, a harrowing revelation for both the audience and the picture's principle characters that has massive repercussions for both, and serves to recontextualise everything that came before it in a significant yet suitably subtle way, mostly making up for the slightly slow pace and occasional meandering that had marred the piece before. Once you've settled into the strange pace and presentation of 'Incendies (2010)', you're treated to an increasingly dark exploration of a woman you know to be dead, whom is still as strong a presence as any other character, and the children who slowly learn about her life alongside us, as we both inch ever closer to an ending that will haunt our memories for days, a tragedy of Greek proportions set against a backdrop of tragedies that all meet that same standard. As each new revelation ratchets up the suspense and plumets us in to increasingly dire territory, an unexpectedly grim realism begins to perforate the entire piece, steeping it in an often unspoken sadness and a thick air of mystery. It's this that gets under your skin and pulls you in deeper, never letting you go until the last frame finally lets you slump back in your seat and release all your emotions in one gut-wrenched gasp. It's an ever-escalating devestation of our expectations. It isn't darkness for darkness sake, rather an exploration of the characters within these situations. It's also the rare film that rests upon withholding information that would seem fairly simple, yet doing so for legitimate narrative reasons, and providing it in intelligent, usually exposition-light ways. While the tragedy exists for a reason, it is indeed tragedy. Blindsiding, unflinching tragedy, at that. The film knows when to show and when not to. All in the aid of making each moment the most impactful it can be, making you feel like you are the child of this poorly-treated, mysterious mother as you learn of her past. You'll often find yourself asking: how can things get worse? Trust me... they do. It's brilliant. 8/10

MAJOR SPOILER The movie was solid, not very memorable until the end. A plot twist at the end made me laugh so much that I found it fascinating that someone would make such a horrible decision in ending this heartfelt story. It was unnecessary, no positive emotional reaction was awakened in me. It's not that my disgust towards incest makes this review so negative, it's just that it was really really really unnecessary. The ending, simply put, was unbelievable - and not in a good way. A high quality movie, with a high quality plot, ended like a parody of itself.

I have to admit that I went to watch this movie with some friends without having great expectations. As I am learning French I thought it was a good chance to hear French being spoken. I was totally wrong about this movie. While I was watching it I could not move my eyes from the screen. The plot at first seems simple. Two twins are searching for their unknown brother. But nothing in this movie is at it seems. Nice acting , suitable soundtrack. And the direction is superb in my opinion. In the end of the movie when everything come to light I was almost with my mouth open. Movies usually do not surprise me, but this one actually did. All in all I believe it's worth watching . I have watched it already twice and still I wanna watch it again. I do not know if its my favourite movie but it's definitely among my favourites.

Incendies is one movie that leaves you the punch of sensation in the stomach, besides the great Plot Twist at the end of the film, something that Denis Villeneuve did in some his films, Denis Villeneuve was simply flawless in this film, the cast is good, especially Lubna Azabal that great in his role, in my opinion the best movie of Villeneuve is the Prisoners, more Incendies is not far behind, the soundtrack is good, photography is great, has shocking scenes, such as the scene that reveals big Plot Twist, is also very beautiful moments, such as the pool, Incendies is very good, so shows that Denis Villeneuve is one of the best director of the film, and here it shows for the first time what he would become what it is today, Villeneuve want more movies. Note 8.6