Very seldom does a movie comes that affects you greatly; that shocks and hurts you, forcing you to replay, over and over again, the events in the movie. Requiem for a Dream did that to me. A dangerously compelling move that plunged my soul into depression and melancholy. Incendies is another such movie that has affected me to a great great extent. Even now I shudder to think of the movie’s conclusion which is just so heartrending that I actually found it hard to sleep after witnessing it. The film is packed with so much power and intensity, that its force threatens to uproot the viewers, at least temporarily, and the emptiness that one is forced to experience at the end is painfully poignant.

Twins Jeanne and Simon meet at the notary’s office where Remy gives them two letters from their late mother which they are supposed to deliver to their father and brother. This comes as a shock to the two as they believed that the former was dead and the latter’s existence wasn’t even known to them. Thus begins an epic saga wherein Jeanne, and later Simon, embark on a journey to the Middle-East to uncover the secrets of their mother’s mysterious past. In a flashback manner, we are shown the dangerous, bold and horrifyingly painful life that their mother, Nawal Marwan, experienced. At the film’s denouement, when all clandestine information has been uncovered, a terrible truth is revealed, one that gives a shattering conclusion to this masterpiece.

The letters serve as an important MacGuffin ( an object/device which serves as a plot trigger) which helps the twins (and the audience of course) gain valuable insight into their heritage and explains why Nawal seemed lost and confused, mainly to Simon.

The movie’s protagonist Nawal Marwan, played by the excellent Lubna Azabal, is one of the, if not the strongest characters I have ever had the pleasure of watching on screen. Azabal dives into her character with such immense strength and determination that one is truly amazed at the glorious power of an actor which has the potency to transcend barriers and stupefy the audience by a stellar performance. I found myself feeling every emotion that Azabal brought to life, be it fear, doggedness, or wretched desperation. The petrifying sorrow that Nawal experiences at the end when she finally recognises her son and sees him for the brutal tormentor that he was brought tears to my eyes and I found myself railing against the injustices and atrocities committed by humanity throughout the ages, all over the world, forgetting that this was ‘just a movie’, which it isn’t of course. Nawal Marwan is a symbol for the strength that we as humans possess in the face of startling unkindness and violence, and Azabal as ‘the woman who sings’ verily shows that not acting, but acting true and well, is a sacred art. All the other actors play their part well, with Jeanne doing an admirable job.

The script is adroitly written, and the cryptic lines uttered by a broken Simon at the end, “one plus one, can it not make one”, are as memorable as they are painful. Denis Villeneuve has marvellously directed the movie, capturing the bleak and tense warzone of (presumably) Lebanon where war is as old as the sun, where even little children are gunned down by hidden snipers. The contrast with Canada is stark, the latter being shown in a comfortably urban and depressing manner.

The opening shot is a harbinger of the chilling end, when we see young Nihad of May getting his head shorn, staring defiantly and somewhat angrily into the camera. This scene when remembered after the film’s conclusion does reveal its shocking brilliance and unfortunate pertinence, once again highlighting the director’s talents.

Carried on the valiantly talented Azabal’s shoulders, Incendies will hurt and endanger, but one has to be brave to watch this pacy drama to feel and experience.

[FEATURED IMAGE SOURCE]