I have been seeing a lot of movies lately it seems...some good and some not so great. I recently went to my town's small independent theater to see this movie "Incendies". This one definitely has potential to win Best Foreign Language Film in my opinion. Also, has some Radiohead music in it, which is always a plus. haha. But anyway...
Without spoiling anything, I'll say the plot follows two adult children's journey to discover the mystery of their mother's past after her death. The neat thing about this movie is as the children are traveling and discovering new information, the setting will switch to the past with the mother and further develop the discoveries taking place in the present. The scenes in the past take place during times of fighting between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon (I think). It's very interesting to see the horrible things that happen during the war going on and it's effects. One aspect that particularly stood out to me was the recognition that the fight between Christians and Muslims was not a matter of religion, but rather a means to peace. Basically, there is this realization that the acts of both sides of the war are not by any means "good" or even "religious", but are violent and sinful. The most compelling theme from this movie comes from how these sinful actions end up building up to have an ultimately horrible consequence. Although it may not be the most heartwarming film, it does have some redeeming aspects towards the end, no worries. However, it can be quite disturbing at times.
But ultimately, I enjoyed the how thought-provoking the themes and ideas presented were. It was not the most action-packed film, but it kept my interest and always had my waiting to find out more about the characters. I also really loved the foreign aspect, being able to not only see several cultures different from mine, but to hear it in their language. I highly suggest this picture for any movie-goer with a more eclectic taste and an appreciation for the art and story of a film.
