Incendies (2011)

Wow! Such a good movie.

How sad is this?

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Blistering performances.

you can see both the reality of living in middle east and struggle of a women. to me; it definitely worth watching. you can never guess the end of movie and you can't even move your eyes for a while after turning off your device. it is one of the best movies I have ever watched. but unfortunately, it couldn't reach a wide audience.

Following the death of Nawal Marwan, a Canadian immigrant, her two children, fraternal twins Jeanne and Simon, meet with French Canadian notary Jean Lebel, a friend of their mother. Nawal's will makes reference to not keeping a promise, denying her a proper gravestone and casket, unless Jeanne and Simon track down their mysterious brother, whose existence they were previously unaware of, and their father, whom they believed was dead.A series of flashbacks reveal Nawal came from a Christian Arab family in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, and that she fell in love with a Palestinian refugee, resulting in her pregnancy. Her family murders her lover and nearly shoots her as an honour killing, but her grandmother spares her, tattoos the baby and abandons him, and sends Nawal to the fictional city of Daresh. While at school, a civil war and war crimes break out as Christian nationalists attack Muslims and refugees, with Nawal opposing the war on human rights grounds. Her son's orphanage in Kfar Khout is destroyed by the nationalists, and unknown to her, her son has been rescued by a Muslim warlord, Chamseddine, who converts him into an Islamic child soldier. Seeking revenge for the loss of her son, Nawal joins the Muslim fighters and shoots a nationalist leader. Afterwards, she is imprisoned in Kfar Ryat and raped by torturer Abou Tareq. She consequently gives birth to the twins.

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.

Great idea but weak realization. Story has strength and depth and, if it was made by the book, book probably kicks ass, but movie left me indifferent. I can not say what is the issue, if it is acting or directing or music or what... but until just few minutes before the end I had absolutely no emotions towards what I was watching and I was bored. For idea and very end of the movie 9/10, but overall impression about 5/10.!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!Christian girl gets involved with Muslim refugee and she gets pregnant. Christian police kills Muslim and her child is taken away on birth and sent to orphanage. Many years later she gets revenge for tragedy of her youth by killing leader of Christian police. She ends up in prison where she is raped by the most cruel guard. She gets pregnant again and gives birth to twins. After she is released from prison she takes her children to Canada.After she died her testament sends her children in quest to find their father and brother and deliver letters from her. Daughter goes to search for father and son searches for brother and they both find the same person.Orphanage was destroyed in war and child was adopted by attackers and trained to be killing machine. He ends up as prison guard where he rapes female prisoner not knowing it was his mother.Twins first get to know that their father is not killed in war like they were told. They find out that they are result of their mother being raped in prison while she was serving sentence for murder. Then as icing on the cake they find out that she was raped by long lost son. So, in adult age you find out that your whole life was lie. Your mother is murderer, you are rape child, rapist is your older brother and you are just side effect of sadistic, incestuous rape and now you are expected to continue with your life as mentally stable person... yea, right, like it is possible...So, I would like to improve this already sick movie by adding some epilogue to it:a) Father/brother receives both letters and, when his brain finally realizes shocking truth, he drops letters on the floor and jumps through the window (shoot himself in the head), while twins end up in closed section of sanitarium.or, for those who root for happy ending...b) Twins cry in embranchment, which ends up "horizontally", and father/brother accepts his new found family and joyfully awaits birth of his grandchild/nephew and they lived happily ever after.P.S. Yup, I'm sick, I know :P