Overview
A haunting journey through the scars of war and the bonds of family.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- foreboding
- melancholic
- serious film night
- arthouse cinema evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's commanding performances, emotional impact, and ambitious mystery while acknowledging that its melodrama and length can feel heavy-handed.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jeanne and Simon follow their mother's final instructions to uncover their tangled roots and a deeply hidden family secret.
Nawal's history and the twins' investigation are inseparable from militia violence, massacres, and the Lebanese Civil War.
The plot traces deep-rooted religious and communal hatred while insisting on the futility of hating others for their religion.
Critics and audience responses emphasize Villeneuve's use of silence, shadow, and stark photography to create slow-burning tension.
Films like Incendies, and why
The Secret in Their Eyes
Shares a nonlinear family mystery, devastating revelations, war trauma, and morally serious international drama.
The Lives of Others
Shares an emotionally intense investigation into political violence, buried memory, and the long afterlife of conflict.
The Kite Runner
Shares an intergenerational search for truth, Middle Eastern war trauma, and a bleak but humanistic dramatic tone.
A Separation
Shares a mystery structured around family secrets, religious conflict, and a tragic historical backdrop.
Movie Details
- Director
- Denis Villeneuve
- Release Date
- 2010-09-17
- Runtime
- 131 min
- Rating
- 8.1 / 10 (3492)
Cast
- Lubna Azabal
- Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin
- Maxim Gaudette
- Rémy Girard
- Allen Altman
- Abdelghafour Elaaziz
- Dominique Briand
- Frédéric Paquet
- Ahmad Massad
- John Dunn-Hill
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Incendies about?
- A pair of twins investigates their mother's cryptic final wishes and uncovers a family history scarred by war, sectarian hatred, and impossible love.
- What is Incendies like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Incendies as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Incendies violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Incendies as graphic.
- What did critics think of Incendies?
- Critics broadly praised the film's commanding performances, emotional impact, and ambitious mystery while acknowledging that its melodrama and length can feel heavy-handed.
- Which films are like Incendies?
- Films with a similar feel include The Secret in Their Eyes, The Lives of Others, The Kite Runner, and A Separation.
- How long is Incendies?
- Incendies runs 131 minutes.
- Where can I watch Incendies?
- In United States, Incendies is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
