Incendies

É como descascar uma cebola, cada camada tem um odor tão intenso que só se pode fechar os olhos quando se vê o centro. Uma história muito poderosa e magistralmente contada com uma abordagem ligeiramente artística, mas um tema que agrada muito ao público. Simplesmente Villeneuve. Servir o ponto de partida com uma consciência de contexto pareceu mais funcional e muito mais emocional aqui do que em O Primeiro Encontro, onde (surpreendentemente) não me cativou. Como é que Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin não atua em coisas mais famosas depois disto? (05/05/2019)

I’m mad because halfway into the film I came up with a twist I would have used if I’d had had written this story myself. But the screenwriters wrote a completely different ending, which deprived me of a shock, goosebumps and maybe also a tear or two. In any case, an excellent and strong film, though it had the potential to be more ingenious :-( (23/04/2011)

The fires burn deep into your memory and then they keep on smoldering and fuming a long time after... Not just because of the powerful story, but mainly due to the depressing atmosphere that digs in deep under your skin. Seeing as it’s basically “just" a relationships drama, it explores other paths (all with different themes), but most of the time this wider scope is good for the movie. I would personally have done without the finale literalness and the present day encounters with officialdom which slightly waters down the impact of the fates of Nawal Marwan. (28/08/2011)

For the first 30-40 minutes, it's basically just a palette of long takes and pieces to a seemingly complex story puzzle. However, once all the main points are revealed and the whole starts to "glue" together, Incendies becomes a completely different film – urgent, uncompromising, authentic. Each successive shot becomes more and more painful and emotionally cathartic until the finale. A finale that will affect each viewer differently, but one that no one will forget. Before Villeneuve went big-budget, dark and visually lavish, he was able to make darkness on a fraction of the budget, with similar filmmaking qualities, in shabby sets and with unknown actors. It's worth making a comparison. (31/07/2022)