What It's About:

Attending the reading of their mother’s will, Canadian twins Jeanne and Simon (Désormeaux-Poulin and Gaudette) are thunderstruck to learn their father is alive (they’d always been told he died before their birth), and that they also have an older brother. From beyond the grave, the mother (Azabal) directs the siblings to find the two men and deliver sealed letters she’s written to them. Simon is furious at their mother’s deception, but Jeanne travels to the Middle East in search of their long-lost relatives. Eventually Simon joins Jeanne, and the two uncover the shocking truth about who they are and where they came from.

Why I Love It:

The heartbreaking revelation at the conclusion of this mesmerizing thriller will haunt you long after the final credits roll. Set against a backdrop of brutal in-fighting in an unnamed country (probably Lebanon) during the 1970s, “Incendies” recounts the unspeakable horrors that civil war can perpetuate. And yet there’s the promise of redemption, too, because of one woman’s implacable courage and character. Impeccably acted, especially by Azabal—whose story is told in flashback—this quiet and deeply moving drama received an Oscar nod for Best Foreign Film.