Review of Incendies (2010) by David F — 09 Jul 2011

A late Palestinian mother's will requires her children to travel from Canada to the Middle East to deliver letters to an absentee father they didn't know was alive, and a brother they didn't know they had, uncovering a traumatic family mystery along the way. THANKS A LOT MUM.

'Incendies' plays like a cross between Babel and The Kite Runner, both in terms of theme and plot contrivance, and for the most part it's harrowing and absorbing stuff. That is, until the last 20 minutes. Now I don't really have a problem with a story being far fetched, unlikely tales often make the best cinema, but towards the end of this (and giving nothing away) I started to suspect a twist that was as ridiculous as it was horrible, and I dismissed it; surely the film wasn't going to go there? But it did, and at the point the whole intricate house of cards collapses, and what is meant to be a devastating ending rings a bit hollow.

Which is a shame, because it's well acted and well made, and frankly anything that stops me thinking about facebook, Cheryl Cole, bums, etc for 5 minutes is a good thing.