Incendies (2010)

“1 + 1, ça fait 2. Ça peut pas faire 1.”
(1+1, that’s 2. It can’t be 1.)

Last week I revisited this movie for the first time since it first traumatized me 12 years ago and it fucked me up all over again. The story follows twins as they embark on a journey to understand their recently deceased mother’s past in a fictional war-torn country. By jumping around in time and using a very minimalist aesthetic, the film focuses on the vicious impossible cycles that violence forces upon generations. Lubna Azabal’s performance as Nawal is particularly wrenching, and I deeply appreciated how she balances rage with grace as her story evolves.

Denis Villeneuve first saw Lebanese-Canadian Wajdi Mouawad’s wildly successful play in 2004 and, after writing a few scenes for the screen, managed to get the reluctant playwrite’s blessing. He spent 5 years converting the play’s beautiful dialogue and poetry into visuals, all while maintaining the plot, characters and structure of the original story. This movie never “feels” like a play, and I think that’s a testament to his talent as a visual storyteller. It’s no wonder this film catapulted Villeneuve onto the international scene. It went on to earn an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film (alongside another indie darling favourite, Yargos Lanthimos), and Villeneuve continues to makes visually impressive, emotionally wrenching films.
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