epic Greek tragedy

Rating: 8/10 (6 September 2015)

Twins Simon and Jeanne Marwan are given instructions at the reading of their mother's Will. They are to deliver letters to their father and a brother they know nothing about. Simon dismisses their mother's weird wishes but Jeanne decides to discover the truth. In Lebanon, their Christian mother Nawal Marwan had an affair with Arab Wahab. Her family killed Wahab. Her grandma saved the pregnant Nawal. The baby was given to a mysterious woman. Narwal would go off to look for him.
Director Denis Villeneuve delivers some compelling images. It's a dark murky tale of religion and family set in the middle of a sectarian war. There is a point in the middle where the story double down and make this a true Greek Tragedy. I have a small problem with the dying nurse telling the twins about the babies born in prison. They should be able to figure that part out by themselves. The last half is stretched out a bit. By the midway point, I wish the movie picks up the pace to get to the big reveal. Nevertheless, this is a brilliant tragedy.