Incendies - DVD

This review is for the movie and the Second Sight Limited edition 4K-Blu-ray box-set. PLOT... In an attempt to mend their broken family ties, Aubrey and Paul Davison decide to celebrate their wedding anniversary by inviting family members to their weekend estate. The celebration gets off to a rocky start when mysterious assailants wearing animal masks suddenly attack the house and start killing them one by one. You're next 2011 is a fantastic home invasion horror thriller, old school throw back to the good old days of slasher movies with modern settings, the movie has a decent budget and a great cast especially lead actress Sharni Vinson who's very entertaining! The movie has plenty bloody gory scenes for horror fans pretty consistently throughout once the carnage starts, its better than most of recent years, it has some humour to it too. Overall its just a fun and entertaining horror slasher that's worth going back too every now and again and the new Second Sight release is amazing. Picture looks great on the 4K and Blu-ray 2-discs. Features are plentiful with 2 commentaries, featurettes and interviews (190mins) Region B UK. Running time 95mins. 2011/2024. English language movie. English subtitles. The limited edition as usual is very cool with a decent hard-box case, 120 page book and art cards.

The phrase ' I love it' as a statement to make about this film nearly made me rate it lower. How can one 'love' something so difficult to experience? Well that is one theme of the film. It is an excellent film portraying events of which I am a little aware but by no means familiar with. Palestine but war and conflict in general seem to me to be the target rather than the plight of one group or the other. Often films like this are over sentimental or glorifying not this one. A tense well plotted tale full of thrilling questions and a great deal of tension which balances on realistic and engaging characters and a story that has left me sickened. A film worth watching and a story that sadly still needs to be told and heard.

`Incendies' translates into English as `scorched' and is a good metaphor for the whole film. This is the story of Narwal Marwan (Lubna Azabal), who has left an unusual last will and testament. Said will is then read to her twin children by her former employer and attorney. In it they are both given a letter each to deliver, the daughter Jeanne, has one for the father and her brother Simon, has one for their brother. The problem is that up until this point they believed their father to be dead and this is the first they had heard of a brother. Jeanne is more enthused than her sibling and sets off with minimal information to find her Pops. Simon is disgruntled with the whole thing and stays at home sulking - that is probably the Gallic influence. Jeanne goes to an unnamed country that is more than likely the Lebanon, where she starts her search for the past. The real past is told in episodic flashbacks, and we start to see what a harrowing and extraordinary life that Narwal has lived. We are taken on a tour of Daresh and Deressa during the civil war. We see religious intolerance, war atrocities and honour killings. Whilst this is all done very tastefully, it has the feel of being much more gritty than it actually is and that has to be a testament to the brilliant direction of Denis Villeneuve (who also adapted this from the stage play). This is also beautifully shot and has a powerful soundtrack that features Radiohead. Whilst not a short film with a run time of 130 minutes, this did not feel like a chore at all, in fact it seemed to fly by. There are some that will not be satisfied with the ending, but c'est la vie. In French, with some Arabic and English, all well translated, albeit translitterally, this is a film for anyone interested in World cinema. It is also about the indominatabilty of the human spirit and the love bond a mother has for her child. Even if you do not like this film, you would be hard pressed not to be moved by it. I found it utterly absorbing and I hope you do too.

Incendies is an incredible film in which the story alternates between present day and through thirty years or so of history as it unfolds revealing more and more of it’s detail. The actors perform brilliantly, the directing, the camera work, the music, the editing, the scenery, in short, everything about this film is superb. This is a film that many will come away from, thinking about it long after the closing credits, and not least for the powerful story within the film. But no spoilers given here, I would simply encourage anyone thinking of watching this film to do so. Fiction can still give a powerful story and a powerful message. The DVD comes with the two-hour main film, a ten-minute Q & A section with the director Denis Villeneuve, a short written interview with Denis Villeneuve and a UK theatrical trailer.

Some beautifully shot scenes with terrific acting, but lacking in other ways. Well worth a look - better than any Hollywood blockbuster by a long shot.

A fantastic film that I recommend to anyone who's into film & world cinema. I would describe this film as a cross between drama & thriller, very well directed with a solid story and good acting from all involved in the film. Its hard to criticize this film at all (as I loved every minute) but I suppose there is maybe a couple of scenes that feel a little 'over-cooked' & the soundtrack could have been worked on a little more (the music used is by Radiohead, and although the songs fit well with the tone of the film, they somehow don't seem to 'fit' into the film as well as they could). Definitely one of the best films I've seen this year and deserving of a 9 out of 10 in my opinion.

Great twist.

I love movies but I find that so many films are dominated by repetetive stories with no substance. This film is probably one of the most accomplished movies I have ever seen. And I have watched thousands.I am a film producer finalising my first 2 hour feature film. This film exposes what life is lke in parts of the world we here about on the news but do not experience first hand, but it does not do it to 'teach', it does it to grip you and take you on that journey. You will be shocked, and if you are a genuine human-being with care and empathy in you, I think you may also cry. Few films I've seen, contain what this one does: the power to entertain you with mystery, violence, sexual content - which is not erotic, but a consequence of so many people driven by circumstances and ideas outside of their control. It all feels real. The whole journey leads to a mystery revealed but this is just the simple layer. The other layers compell you to conside the reality of war, cultural divides, and the innocent victims of all that, who - somehow, rise above it. I don't wish to tell you snippets of the plot. Simply, if you are real, and you wish to understand a world outside of your western one, take a look and be captivated and moved as you learn what is not obviously being taught. A story like no other. On my list of movies all time? In the top 10. mol