Incendies
Movie, 2010, The 2010s, Set in Twins search their mother's past
Incendies is #4 of 11 in release order and #4 of 11 in chronological order in the Denis Villeneuve.
The story
A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.
Incendies recap
Incendies (2010) follows twins Jeanne and Simon Marwan, whose mother's will sends them to the Middle East to find a father and a brother. Denis Villeneuve directs and co-wrote it with Valerie Beaugrand-Champagne from Wajdi Mouawad's play. Lubna Azabal plays their mother Nawal Marwan, Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin plays Jeanne, Maxim Gaudette plays Simon, and Remy Girard plays the notary Jean Lebel. The twins believed their father dead and never knew of a brother; Nawal asks for no headstone until both letters are delivered. Jeanne goes alone at first; the film moves between her search and Nawal's youth in an unnamed country modeled on Lebanon. As a young Christian woman, Nawal had a child with a refugee, whom her family killed; her baby was taken to an orphanage with a tattoo on his heel. During the civil war she searches for him, assassinates a militia leader and spends years in the Kfar Ryat prison, where she is raped by the torturer Abou Tarek. It is Villeneuve's fourth feature, between Polytechnique and Prisoners, and was nominated for the foreign-language Oscar.
Incendies ending explained
Incendies ends with the twins learning that their brother and their father are the same man. Nawal's lost son Nihad became a child soldier, then a torturer, and as Abou Tarek he raped her in prison, fathering Jeanne and Simon. Years later, in Canada, Nawal saw his heel tattoo at a swimming pool, recognized him, and fell ill. The twins deliver both letters to him; one condemns the torturer, and the other tells her son he is loved. Nawal gets her headstone, and Nihad visits it.
Post-credits scenes
No. Incendies has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Incendies
Incendies isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.9/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Polytechnique, before Prisoners.
- Chronological order: after Polytechnique, before Prisoners.
Cast
- Lubna Azabal as Nawal
- Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin as Jeanne Marwan
- Maxim Gaudette as Simon Marwan
- Rémy Girard as Notary Lebel
- Allen Altman as Notaire Maddad
- Abdelghafour Elaaziz as Abou Tarek
- Dominique Briand as Professor Niv Cohen
- Frédéric Paquet as Doctor in the Emergency Room
- Ahmad Massad as Bassem Marwan
- John Dunn-Hill as Professor Said Haidar
- Jackie Sawiris as Mother
- Lara Atalla as Angry Woman
Directed by Denis Villeneuve.