DARK & BLEAK

Rating: 10/10 (13 January 2020)

1 + 1 = 1 + 1 = 2. Watch the film and this equation will make sense.
Incendies is one of those films where I'm not surprised if anybody who has seen the film they confessed that the film managed to change their whole life perspective. It's that damn good. This film has it all. Family conflicts, genocides, war between religions, politics. To say it is bleak is actually an understatement.
I've watched a few of Denis Villeneuve's film before this. And I gotta say, you can clearly see his signature and style all over the film. The pacing, cinematography and overall style is definitely obvious for us to see. This film showcase his talents not just in terms of directing, but also his know-how to choose a story and expand on it.
The narrative is actually quite simple. Nawal, a dying mother instructs her twins, brother and sister Simon and Jeanne to go on a trip to the Middle East in search for an answer to her life history. There, they learnt how life in those times in those places is like living in hell. How politics and religious extremists would only destroy lives.
Villeneuve's film has this quality of needing little dialogue to convey things. Instead, he relies on his actors to use their full facial expressions and acting range to show raw emotions. Some of the scenes are so gripping and hard hitting you will likely feel the same as how the characters feel at the time. This film is so exhausting you'd probably feel drained of it all by the end of it. But it doesn't do it through fast pace, but rather through the use of you discovering the truth as it unfolds before you.
Villeneuve also has the habit of leading you astray with his plots. He led you into thinking for something to happen, only for something else to happen. You'll probably feel vandalized or harassed or confused by the end of the film, or all three. Not to mention his cinematography and mise en scene is absolutely superb. Just enough to got you immerse in the story and curious as a whole.
Incendies made Hollywood noticed Denis Villeneuve. And I can see why. This film is a masterpiece. Absolutely no doubt about it. There are absolutely zero fault I can find in this film. Well, it's slow but that's not the film's weakness. It's only is if you prefer action packed films or cookie cutter summer blockbusters. And this film isn't that. It's doesn't exist to appease you or the audience. It is only there to tell a story. An easy 5/5 for me.
Watch it. And you won't be disappointed. Or you could. But not because it's a bad film.