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

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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

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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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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

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Robson S

Atuações incríveis!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/05/25

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Otávio A

A beautiful film with a dense, layered narrative. Every scene is rich with meaningful action and dialogue, keeping the audience increasingly engaged. Stunning cinematography and outstanding performances complete the experience.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/23/25

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Lars N

Glad to have watched it, glad it's behind me. It's a long, grim tale but the unfolding mystery kept me invested throughout all the bleakness. This is definitely not for the faint of heart. It's like Denis Villeneuve saw a greek tragedy and said 'hold my beer', like someone brainstormed the saddest possible scenario, they could come up with. I highly recommend this film to anyone who needs a good traumatization.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/10/25

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Stanley S.

I’m no movie critic, but this film hit hard

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/26/25

Full Review

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

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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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