Incendies

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Incendies

R

Released Apr 22, 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

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

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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

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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

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Pinoy Short R

Sayang oras. Di ko masyadong na enjoy. Masyadong malalim sa akin un kwento. Kelangan ko sigurong panuorin uli para maintindihan ko lalo. Sapat na un violence na pinakita magkaroon ako ng interest na panoorin muli

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

07/22/25

Full Review

Dusk L.

HOT TAKE: Incendies is the greatest film of all time. Terrifying as a horror film, arresting as a drama and important as a statement. A cautionary tale filled with anger and pain that forces its audience to understand what unchecked government power can do to citizens. It’s been compared to Greek tragedies, and for good reason.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

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Mason M

I haven't seen any of Denis Villeneuve's recent movies, but I've seen most of his early stuff and have loved it all. Incendies (or Scorched in English) was a haunting depiction of war, and though it's pretty cold, the ingenious of this film can't be denied. Denis Villeneuve's filmmaking style is definitely the highlight of this film. His techniques of more quiet and atmospheric stuff and implying instead of telling definitely adds to what makes this film so haunting. The writing was pretty ingenious with the gradual unveiling of the mystery and the y'know at the end. Though it does come off a bit cold, Incendies was a riveting and immersive movie, and has way too many strengths for me not to determine it as great.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

Full Review

Vixo S

"One plus one, does it make one?" There is a before and after this scene, just as there is a before and after watching this movie. It is simply one of the best stories ever told, directed by Denis Villanueve, who, as always, did an excellent job. Radiohead's music had already caught my attention from the very begining, adding even more to the experience. In summary, Incendies is highly recommended. A remarkable work that is absolutely worth watching.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

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Angel M

In a world where uber-creative genius is always present, he's my favorite. 😎

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/26/25

Full Review

HameZz O

Was not prepared for this movie. Not because of how well made it is, it's overall pretty well made. The story is unbelievably well written. Crazy *ss movie. It's the type of film that you only really want to watch once.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/24/25

Full Review

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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

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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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