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Incendies

Play trailer Poster for Incendies R 2011 2h 10m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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Incendies

Incendies

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 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

Audience Reviews

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Hamza V 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. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/08/25 Full Review Zane T 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. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/06/25 Full Review Ashutosh J 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" Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/02/25 Full Review thiago s Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajudou a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, com um plot twist chocante. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 10/29/25 Full Review Karina S É bem ruim. É bem ruim. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/24/25 Full Review Hesam T Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies struck me as a film of commanding craft—assured direction, striking compositions, and a tightly wound narrative that never loses control. Lubna Azabal gives a magnetic performance, anchoring a story that unfolds like a ferocious family mystery across eras and a war-torn landscape. Layer by layer, it reveals brutal truths with a quiet restraint, culminating in a cathartic finale reminiscent of Greek tragedy. The images linger, and its focus on religion, birthright, and cycles of violence gives the film a disturbing urgency, suggesting that bearing witness is itself an act of compassion. Yet I also found the story implausible, stacked with contrivances that edge into punishment and manipulation, as if tragedy were being ladled on for effect. It works better as a stylized, poetic meditation than as believable drama. Even so, its impact is undeniable. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/17/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Incendies

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Movie Info

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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