Incendies (2010)

Incendies is a tense, emotionally devastating drama and mystery about identity, memory and the long shadows of war. When their estranged mother Nawal Marwan dies, twins Jeanne and Simon are given two sealed envelopes and a set of strange final requests: each must deliver a letter — one to the father they were told died in the Middle East, the other to an unknown brother. Jeanne’s determination to honor the will sends the siblings on a dangerous, bewildering journey to Nawal’s homeland to piece together a life she never spoke about. As they trace fragments of her past, long-buried secrets about love, violence and impossible choices begin to surface. Watching Incendies is an intense, often harrowing experience: the film unfolds like a tightly wound mystery that gradually reveals increasingly wrenching truths. Expect stark, vivid flashbacks, moral ambiguity, and scenes that linger in the mind — both beautiful and brutal — as the story confronts the human cost of civil conflict and the ambiguity of forgiveness. The film is adapted from Wajdi Mouawad’s acclaimed play and delivers a powerful mix of investigative drama and tragic family history, driven by wrenching revelations and quiet emotional payoff. If you see this movie, be prepared for a slow-burning, thought-provoking ride that builds to a shattering resolution; it’s emotionally heavy and thematically complex, rewarding viewers who are ready for difficult subject matter and an unflinching exploration of how the past shapes the present.

Actors: Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Runtime: 131 min

Genres: Drama, Mystery, War

7.7 /10 80 /100 8.3 /10 8.0 /10