Nasty surprises

Rating: 6/10 (12 February 2012)

"Incendies" is a movie I really wanted to like. It's refreshing on several levels, featuring pleasantly strange locales (Quebec and Lebanon). It has a good sense of pace, and covers hitherto unseen moments in modern history with a good eye for detail.
Still, I was tempted to give this movie the lowest score possible. Primarily for butchering its own story towards the end, going for the type of plot that only amateur screenwriters fall for: exciting on paper but hopelessly shallow in practice. (Go see it for yourself - it's so contrived it completely undermines the realistic feel the director has fought so hard to establish.)
Furthermore, I'm sick of movies that create "drama" by graphically depicting violence against children. We get that mid-80s Lebanon was a hell hole, Denis. Refrain from using the sledgehammer unless your story absolutely needs it; it will make your movie more intelligent, too.