Title: Incendies
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Lubna Azabal, Remy Girad
From a technical standpoint, ‘Incendies’ is a rock-solid piece of production. With a timely score and eye-catching cinematography, the 130 minute drama provides a decent landscape for this tale to unfold on. As it continues to open up, one realizes there’s a flawed script attached. And yes, I state that realizing this was nominated for an Oscar (Best Foreign Language Film) this past year.
It could have been a gripping story if it wasn’t for the uneven pacing of the screenplay; leading this movie to feel more like a long line at a theme park. Once you get to the front of the line – or in this case the climatic moment – the payoff is a mild one. (Think of The Mummy ride at Universal Studios). Keep in mind though, for whatever reason, the twist at the very end is one yours truly saw coming (I watch a lot movies).
Jeanne (Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin) and Simon Marwan (Maxim Gaudette) are twins living in Canada. Their mother Nawal (Lubna Azabal) has just passed away and the grown siblings are with Notary Jean Lebel (Remy Girad), who is about to execute the will at Nawal’s behest.
Nawal has lived a secretive past, as her will drops a bombshell on her well-adjusted offspring. She instructs them to find and deliver an envelope to their brother – who they didn’t know they had – and also do the same to their father – who they never met and was thought to be deceased. Simon believes his mother was a lunatic and scoffs at Jeanne as she embarks overseas to the Middle East to find out more about their mysterious mommy.
While Jeanne is retracing her mother’s past, the story then revisits Nawal around the age of 18. The audience learns she is some type political activist with a grudge. She has shamed her family, stemming from banging some guy not of Christian descent (always religion I tell ya), and therefore, the child has been taken away from her at birth. Nawal is on a mission to find her son, but has to deal with political wars to which she inserts herself into.
Is this journey worth it? Eh. The thought of turning off and/or walking out probably won’t cross your mind. A few of the sequences can grab your attention – mainly when a kid dies – but there is nothing on display that elevates the emotional levels. This product will appeal to filmmakers before it registers any sort of provocative thought with random moviegoers. Plus, one has to read subtitles (French & Arabic dialogue) and this guy has always stated that the majority of audiences do not go to a movie to read.
Everything was just alright in this flick. Acting was plausible, but the chopped scenes hamper the performances. The parallel storytelling of the past and present exploration by the leads was a nice touch; and the reveal toward the end was workable. Yet one wishes it was more compelling.
Overall, ‘Incendies’ needed a better game-plan. If this project was working on a tight budget, the filmmakers did a satisfactory job in telling a cohesive story. The audience will definitely understand what is happening and why, through the characters’ actions. Having said that, the bland delivery – aside from the cinematography – makes this comparable to a hot chick, that is just average in bed.
And for those that are curious, Incendies is French, and its American translation relates to fire.
Technical: B
Story: C
Acting: B+
Overall: C+
Review by Joe Belcastro
