Incendies

Play trailer

Incendies

R

Released Apr 22, 2011

2h 10m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

126 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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Roger Clarke

Sight & Sound

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

Jun 28, 2011

Full Review

Robbie Collin

News of the World

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.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 25, 2011

Full Review

Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

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

Rated: 4/5

Jun 24, 2011

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…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…

Rated: 5/5

Aug 12, 2024

Full Review

Ray Pride

Newcity

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.

Rated: 10/10

Jul 4, 2024

Full Review

Rohan Naahar

The Indian Express

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.

Mar 9, 2024

Full Review

Read all reviews

Thomas R

The slow and enigmatic start to the movie is masterfully counterbalanced by the intensity and emotion of the story as it unfolds, carried by some exceptional acting and cinematography. A profoundly humane film, balancing perfectly between the unspeakable horrors of war and the touching quest for redemption and healing.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

Full Review

Hao Ian L

While the subject manner is heavy, Villeneuve balances the intense drama with moments of quiet beauty, with the stark landscapes that provide a striking backdrop to the character's emotional journey in this raw, gut-wrenching war commentary film that is <i>Incendies</i>.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/07/24

Full Review

Juan O

Es una bellísima obra maestra.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/18/24

Full Review

Oscar J

Wow, must watch. I did a few times already.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/01/24

Full Review

julie b

Incendies is gripping, unflinching, and emotional. It’s a twisted and devastating journey, and the plot, characters, performances, scoring, and cinematography are all incredible. I really loved the non linear storytelling and its mirroring of mother / daughter journeys. No notes!!! “Death is never the end of the story, it always leaves tracks” “Ideas only survive if someone is there to defend them”

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/19/24

Full Review

Carolina A

The reality of others can be so different that we can't even imagine it. It's tough, heartbreaking, intelligent, and raw.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/03/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Mother and Child

79%

76%

Mother and Child

Watchlist

For Colored Girls

31%

73%

For Colored Girls

Watchlist

We Need to Talk About Kevin

74%

78%

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Watchlist

Beautiful Boy

71%

56%

Beautiful Boy

Watchlist

Winter's Bone

94%

76%

Winter's Bone

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Winter's Bone

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: Water for Elephants Is A Little Soapy

View more photos

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: micro_scope, Phi Group, TS Productions
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)

Most Popular at Home Now