New York Magazine (Vulture) by David Edelstein
The movie doesn't quite jell, but you'll feel its sting for hours.
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Canada, France · 2010
Rated R · 2h 10m
Director Denis Villeneuve
Starring Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Rémy Girard
Genre Drama, Mystery, War
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A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a revealing journey to Middle East in search of their tangled family 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.
New York Magazine (Vulture) by David Edelstein
The movie doesn't quite jell, but you'll feel its sting for hours.
Boxoffice Magazine by Ed Schied
Azabal is superb, conveying Nawal's fiery presence, determination and mounting bitterness. The impressive cast includes non-professionals from Jordan, where Incendies was filmed.
The climax is a little too clever and far-fetched-an unnecessarily neat finale for a movie that works fine when dealing in broad strokes, some of which are nothing short of masterful.
A staggering political drama that could put you in mind of the intimate sweep of Bernardo Bertolucci, Incendies feels like a mighty movie in our midst.
Nawal's travails are more in the vein of a Latin American soap opera than Greek tragedy, and Jeanne and Simon's climactic, genuinely god-awful discovery plays like artistic sleight-of-hand rather than the profoundly tautological revelation it aspires to be.
Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman
The movie is a bumpy road of twists that leads to a revelation that has the shock and force of Greek tragedy.
Incendies vaults Denis Villeneuve to the status of serious director.
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
A devastating mystery thriller from Quebec filmmaker Denis Villeneuve that grabs you hard and won't let go.
The Hollywood Reporter by Stephen Farber
Although the film runs more than two hours, the story is so compelling and the production so beautifully controlled that we are gripped by the characters' quest right up to the shocking end of the story.
The A.V. Club by Tasha Robinson
While the film will likely stick with viewers, it's ultimately a tossup what they'll remember most: the stunning buildup, or the massive letdown.
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