Sheila Maffay-Tuthill Reviews 'Incendies'

"Incendies" is a beautifully constructed film that will punch you in the gut and knock your breath away. The story is intricately woven together, beginning with the powerful image of a small and intense boy having his head shaven and challenging us with an unflinching gaze.

Next we move from a dreary Canadian city to a fantastically bleak yet beautiful Middle Eastern country, as a twin sister and brother try to fulfill their mother's dying wish to find their surviving father and brother. The film employs flashbacks to tell much of the mother's story and, occasionally, it takes a moment to realize when you are back in real time.

The performances of Lubna Azabal as Nawal, the mother, and Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin as daughter Jeanne, are both superb.  Everyone is excellent, but the women convey a steely strength that makes the tale more riveting whenever they are onscreen.

The story is a difficult one with realistic violence that is disturbing but never overdone. The warring parties are religious adversaries, making it all the more heart-wrenching to watch with their vengeful attacks on civilians, some of them children.

As the story unfolds and the tension builds, you won't guess the twist until the last moments.  Be prepared because "Incendies" grabs and holds you until the final moment — and you will think about it for days! A must see film, in my opinion.