Beautifully filmed, explosive and deeply saddening film of the Middle-East

Rating: 8/10 (10 April 2019)

Incendies is like a series of shocks. It's as if there is a aeroplane circling overhead, with each circle pulling back a curtain over time, and on each circle dropping yet another bombshell on the viewer. Wonderful cinematography, rich colour, many panoramic vistas of the Middle-East, for this alone the film has power. As the tale swept over me during it's length I could see the honourable statements the filmmakers were making about war. I took a point off for the ending, which, for me, strayed off message and was one bombshell too many. It did explain the two parallel stories however, so, alas, I am forced to take another point off the score for that as well. For me just the story of the mother was all I needed to see, and except for the last ten minutes, that is what is deserving of a 10. Wonderful movie, but too much.