Incendies (2011)
94%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
40 wins & 18 nominations total
It’s messy, overlong, and a touch melodramatic, but those flaws pale before Incendies’ impressive acting and devastating emotional impact.
Incendies is like a rollercoaster ride, but instead of loops and drops, it’s emotional twists and turns. The film takes you on a journey through a tormented family’s past and present, and just when you think you have it all figured out, it throws you for a loop. The performances are top-notch, especially Lubna Azabal’s fearless portrayal of a woman searching for answers about her family’s history. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s definitely worth it for the payoff at the end. Just make sure you have some tissues handy.
Production Company(ies)
micro_scope T S Productions, Phi Group
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Amman, Jordan
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some strong violence and language
Year of Release
2011
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 10m
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Language(s):French, Arabic, English
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Country of origin:Canada
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 22, 2011 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 15, 2011
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Incendies, drama, French (Canada), directed by Denis Villeneuve, written by Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne, Denis Villeneuve, Wajdi Mouawad, starring Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Rémy Girard, Allen Altman, Mohamed Majd, produced by Luc Déry, Kim McCraw, reviewed by Roger Clarke, Robbie Collin, Derek Malcolm, Anthony Quinn, Peter Bradshaw, David Gritten, Fico Cangiano, Kelly Jane Torrance, Leigh Paatsch, Martin Tsai, Roger Moore, Sarah Boslaugh, rated R, box office gross $6.9M
Worldwide gross: $6,788,659
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $8,937,255
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,004
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 974,619
US/Canada gross: $2,071,334
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,726,907
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,961
US/Canada opening weekend: $50,679
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $66,719
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,099
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $6,800,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $8,952,186
Production budget ranking: 1,716
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,820,752
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$4,835,682
ROI to date (est.): -35%
ROI ranking: 1,602
Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin – Jeanne Marwan
Maxim Gaudette – Simon Marwan
Rémy Girard – Notary Jean Lebel
Allen Altman – Notary Maddad
Mohamed Majd – Chamseddine
Director(s)
Denis Villeneuve
Writer(s)
Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne, Denis Villeneuve, Wajdi Mouawad
Producer(s)
Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Film Festivals
South by Southwest, Telluride
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
40 wins & 18 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (122) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (112) | Rotten (10)
Incendies acquires its heft from some very deep places — Greek tragedy rather than newsflashes.
June 28, 2011
Roger Clarke
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Normally I’m against decent original stories being dumbed down and squashed into bog-standard thriller shapes. But Incendies is in dire need of some dumbing down.
June 25, 2011 | Rating: 2/5
Robbie Collin
News of the World
TOP CRITIC
It isn’t easy to open out a well-respected stage play without losing a lot of its bite and subtlety.
June 24, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Derek Malcolm
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Denis Villeneuve’s tormented family drama strips off one layer of meaning after another on its way to a thoroughly jolting terminus.
June 24, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Anthony Quinn
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
It is not really believable, and yet if it is not taken literally, but as a cinematic prose-poem, it has undoubted force.
June 23, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Incendies is in essence a family drama, astonishingly intense but impressively poised.
June 23, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
David Gritten
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Denis Villeneuve’s family drama goes to unexpected places that for better or for worse, stay with you for quite some time. Rewarding for those who stay the course. [Full review in Spanish]
May 11, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast
Incendies is a gripping film, mostly because of the fearless performance of Belgian-born, half Moroccan, half Spanish actress [Lubna] Azabal.
January 8, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Examiner
Dominated by periods of eerie calm followed by sudden, astonishing mood swings, Incendies is intelligent, emotionally complex world cinema at its finest.
October 31, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
Although “Incendies” shows very little violence, the burden of knowing what’s taking place off-screen is just as difficult for the audience to stomach.
October 7, 2015
Martin Tsai
Critic’s Notebook
Rewarding, but ridiculously stingy in handing out simple details — relationships, geographical settings, etc. — vital to our grasp of what’s going on.
January 10, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Moore
Tribune News Service
Watching Incendies is a long, hard, and emotionally draining experience but one that richly rewards the time and effort invested.
October 4, 2012 | Rating: 7/10
Sarah Boslaugh
PopMatters…
Plot
A mother’s last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to the Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad’s acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults’ voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Lubna Azabal’s performance in Incendies is described as “fearless” by one critic.
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