Incendies (2010)
Just when you thought war couldn’t get any worse.
Presentation:
With the emerging war in Israel, this film becomes evermore relevant with a traumatic war story based on the Lebanese civil war. Shot on Arri film zeiss master primes, the film has an organic texture filling the screen with canvas of faces in 1.85 aspect ratio for a compelling immersive drama. The film begins with an iconic track from Radiohead, illustrating the power of music to change the film's perspective to suit western audiences despite being told in French and Arabic. The film starts off slow and normal, setting a tone of painstaking realism. When juxtaposed with the second half of the film, war ends up feeling unnervingly powerful and rutheless with high stakes. Denis Villeneuve presented the film well.
Story:
The film has one of the craziest jaw dropping twists, though there are aspects that diminish the story's effect. The film has a very serious tone throughout, taking itself very seriously. This helps immerse a memorable and impressive bus scene. But on the contrary, some aspects become very melodramatic. The whole premise rests on whether a mother would ever devise such a mission for her children to embark on a dangerous journey to the middle east. Why not just explain to the children about their brother upfront? Why even share such a tragedy? It serves as the vessel to drive the plot as the film would otherwise end in about 10 minutes with a will explaining its conclusion for this 2 hour+ movie. I also dont really see how the mother went from a widow searching for her son to an assassin with professional conviction just to set up the circumstances of the climax. The final twist is ultimately a bit all too convenient and unfortunately unbelievable. This could be overlooked if you see this film more as a metaphor of the horrors of war, but the film isn't a Nolan film, the film is completely rooted in realism with no dramatization, making the dramatic parts stick out like a sore thumb. With a more entertaining atmosphere like Predestination, this plot device wouldn't be critized, but instead opts for a powerful impact though feeling somewhat deceitful.
Conclusion:
A very brutal film on effects of war. It's long with a powerful effect if you can overlook some of the melodramatic elements. Many things to learn about storytelling from Denis Villeneuve's early work. Similar to Capernaum, Lebanon is presented as seemingly one of the most unkind places for a child to grow up.
Recommendations
Constantly shifting perspectives that might just shift yours.