Incendies

UK Release Date. 24 June 2011
Certification. 15
Running Time. 2 hours 11 mins
Director. Denis Villeneuve
Cast. Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette.
Rating. 88%

Review.

The French-Canadian film director Denis Villeneuve rose to prominence in the early 2000's with films such as Maelström, Polytechnique and Incendies. More than any other, Incendies - a nominee for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards in 2010 - is the film in which Villeneuve's visual style and thematic obsessions are first defined. In Incendies Villeneuve demonstrates a natural ability to combine impressive visuals and imposing landscapes with a sense of intimacy for his characters.

Based on a highly acclaimed stage play written by Wajdi Mouawad, Incendies tells the story of two adult siblings Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) as they uncover the truth about their late mother's, Nawal Marwan's (Lubna Azabal) horrific past. Adroitly switching between flashback and present day, Villeneuve's compelling narrative of one thunderous revelation after another - a series of atrocities, assassinations and abominations - produces an almost unbearable level of suspense.

The film is a staggering work of sickening horror and an extraordinary piece of storytelling, where the contrivances are more abhorrent with each new revelation. The performances from the two female leads are as imposing as cinematographer André Turpin's imagery. In particular, Lubna Azabal's portrayal of the mother, Nawal Marwan is riveting. Nawal is bludgeoned over and over - literally and figuratively - until she has wept all she can weep. But the key to the film's credibility is actually Villeneuve's restraint. The director's handling of the horrific incidents never feels cheap or exploitative.

Denis Villeneuve's career has gone from strength to strength - Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, not to mention Dune and Dune: Part Two. But before he was lost in the sand dunes of Arakkis, Denis Villeneuve was telling smaller, more intimate and more daring stories. Incendies may just be the best film of his career - an early indicator of his preoccupations as a storyteller and his considerable talents as a visual stylist.