one plus one can never be one

I still have to watch In A Better World from Denmark to find out why it beat Incendies in the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film this year.  But until then, I’d give Incendies the golden statuette coz it gave me 2 hours of captivating story, terrific acting, vivid cinematography, haunting music, and as a whole, a wonderful piece of work. Even the notoriously merciless Rotten Tomatoes site gives it a 92% fresh rating.

Adapted from a play called Scorched, Incendies is a story of a family borne out of war.  The film starts in Canada when twins Jeanne and Simon were being read their mother’s will.  The mother, Nawal, asks Jeanne to find their father and Simon their long-lost brother.  Only after delivering the letter they can bury her and put a tombstone on her grave.  Jeanne readily accepted the will but Simon, on the contrary felt strongly against the whole idea.    

The mission takes Jeanne back to post-war mid-east country (one site said it was Lebanon) where their mother’s name evokes disdain from people who knew her.  It was a long and arduous process for Jeanne to find the roots of her mother.  This is where flashes of Nawal’s story takes us to a war-torn country, a beautiful place turned to ruins because of the conflict between faiths and religion.  In the end of Jeanne’s search, she was made to believe that their father, Wahab, is already dead.  Or so she thought.

Then came Simon who had no choice but to fulfill his mother’s last wish. Simon’s search for the long-lost brother led him to more complex revelations providing the surprising, disconcerting and controversial ending.

First of the many credits of the films is the acting.  Lubna Azabal, born in Brussels to a Moroccan father and Spanish mother, gave a compelling portrayal of Nawal.  Her struggles, her ideology and her story is the one that kept my eyes firmly planted on the screen.  

Plus the breathtaking cinematography.  The barren yet beautiful countryside, the dark corners of a city ravaged by war, the birthing scenes, even the picture of a woman beside a burning bus, the pictures painted on the screen are postcard-worthy.   

The music, although definitely contemporary, provided a heartfelt background to many critical scenes.  It was surprising to learn that many of the songs were actually performed by a rock band (Radiohead).  

Making the story telling more interesting is the editing.  Telling the story of Jeanne and Simon in parallel with the story of Nawal requires editing to shuttle in and out of several time frames.  It’s tricky but the editing team rendered clean and precise work.  

Of course it’s all because of the masterful direction by Dennis Villenueve.  He was able to tell a rather dark story but gave it heart and soul for us to be able to go ohh and ahh until the last frame of the film. In the end, it is one film that I will never forget so soon.

Interesting.  Captivating.  Superb.  Incendies once again reiterate what I’ve always been saying here in DS:  Holywood does not have the monopoly to excellent films.   

And oh by the way, where did the title of this post come from?  You’ll find out towards the end of the film. And with that I'm saying go watch it.  It's worth your time.