Incendies is a film that roots you deeply within it story, but never allows you any comfort once you’re there. It is a film that works to keep you on your toes, and in a state of near confusion. Despite this, and a somewhat convoluted storytelling method, the film manages to not lose the audience at all. The fact that it teeters so close to being muddled works perfectly with the subject matter, and provides even more for the audience to become absorbed in.
Incendies tells the story of Jeanne and Simon. The two are twins who, following the death of their mother, discover cryptic information about their family: A father thought to be dead, and a brother they never knew existed. To honour their mother’s dying wish of reconciliation, the two must travel to her homeland in order to dig through her past and find their lost family. The director, Denis Villeneuve, uses two storylines to weave us through the narrative. In one, we follow the twins in present day. In the other, we follow their mother Nawal as a young woman. The two stories build upon one another and take turns revealing new information to the audience as time shifts from the past to the present.
This style of back-and-forth between the past and present works well to immerse the audience in the story. As we follow Jeanne and Simon through their mother’s past we are given an actual glimpse into her life. When we follow Nawal through these glimpses, we discover more information about Jeanne and Simon. This puts the audience in a very interesting position where we are given more knowledge than any of the characters in the film. This knowledge builds upon itself to give us a more complete understanding of these people as a whole. What the film does so well is that it gives us all this insight into the characters and the situations, but still manages to surprise and throw twists our way. These twists never feel out of place or unrealistic because of how involved we feel with the narrative, and this makes them all the more powerful. There were multiple times while watching this film in the theatre where there was a collective gasp at the latest revelation. Most films that offer these sorts of surprises will try and misdirect the viewer, but Incendies keeps the viewer close to the characters and story.
These moments are also so striking because of the way they are presented. Sound plays a very important role in this film and it is used very effectively in bringing the audience into the setting. There is very little music used throughout the film. Denis Villeneuve often opts to use the sounds of the locations instead. We see many long takes of Nawal simply walking as we hear the sounds all around her. These sequences really bring the audience right into the film. They seemed to be used as replacements for establishing shots, and they serve this function perfectly. The sounds of the environment and surrounding people made the setting feel more tangible. Villeneuve also uses sound in interesting ways to reflect what is occurring on screen. This could be through a dulling of noise to reflect confusion or shock, or by loudly punctuating a moment of drama. These segments of altered noise only add to the overall effect, and never take the viewer out of the moment.
Incendies works very well in winding it’s viewers through a narrative full of twists and turns. The many curves thrown at the audience could have very well taken away from the overall film. However, Villeneuve manages to weave everything together in a way that only heightens the drama. The subject matter of the film is not to be taken lightly and it is never treated that way. The severity of each situation is never shunned. The film often evokes a very visceral response. This is not only because of the shocking visuals, but also because the film demands a certain investment. After each twist in the plot, I felt that I should have seen it coming, but never could have. Incendies is a film the presents itself so openly, but never lets you feel at ease with what you’re seeing.
