Incendies

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Incendies

R

2011

2h 10m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

124 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.

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Critics Consensus

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

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Roger Clarke

Sight & Sound

06/28/2011

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

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Robbie Collin

News of the World

06/25/2011

2/5

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.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

06/24/2011

4/5

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

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

08/12/2024

5/5

…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…

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Ray Pride

Newcity

07/04/2024

10/10

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.

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Rohan Naahar

The Indian Express

03/09/2024

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.

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Runa R

14h

I saw this film in the cinema in 2026, when it was shown again in a restored 4K screening. What a narrative plot this is!... Lubna Azabal fits this role like a glove; she is fantastic.

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Malik abdullah M

5d

There's only a number of time's when a movie gives you a twist that makes you sit straight up in silence

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Jay W

Dec 12

I can understand why people love this film. The acting is top notch; there was not a scene where I did not believe the performances. The cinematography is excellent, even on a smaller budget, Villeneuve demonstrates his talent in direction. There is just so much ugliness in this film, it is not a pleasant experience to watch. And this sorrow does not lead to a feeling of triumph over struggles; it leaves the audience with emptiness.

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Hamza V

Nov 8

Everything about the movie from the storytelling and acting to the direction and editing is brilliant. The silence and ambiguity are almost haunting. To me, Denis is attempting to critique the oversimplified narratives about life and conflict. What hurts most while watching it is its realness. It's a hard watch but is truly worth the time and effort.

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Zane T

@ZaneThind Nov 6

A very powerful movie that is quiet but heartfelt and tragic. Anyone who says Canada can't make Hollywood movies or Hollywood type movies should watch this and rethink their words.

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Ashutosh J

@Ashutosh05 Nov 2

What a film, the film gives you a terrifying nightmare, that you had never dreamed for, it's all about the trust, and it constantly break you in every scene, hats off to Denis villeneuve his direction is masterful, writing is captivating, cinematography is greety dark, every scene will give you a tragic nightmare, that you didn't expected, the acting of every character is top notch, the film is going to stuck in your mind forever, the last 15–20 minutes of the film is terrifying, the ending you will never forget. "1+1=1" "Love you, Your mother"

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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

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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: TS Productions, micro_scope, Phi Group
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)

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