Incendies

“Your mother’s will was that you must find your father and brother after her death,” the lawyer said. Shocked and confused, the twins asked “Is our father alive?! She always said he is dead. Do we have a brother as well?!”. The irritated son continued, “Our confused mother does not leave us alone even after her death. Didn’t she mention anything about a dog that we should possibly find?!”.

The Canadian movie “Incendies” (the French word meaning ‘fire’), adapted from Wajdi Mouawad’s play, depicts the excruciating exploration of the twins for understanding the past of Nawal, their mother, a Christian woman whose fate was intermingled with the devastating conflict between Christian and Muslim communities in a Palestine-wise country. Her tragic life begins when her Muslim fiancé, by whom she was pregnant, was shot dead by her Christian brothers. Giving birth in isolation, she was forced to leave her newborn in an orphanage, then leaving her village. In the new town, she established an activist life, writing articles and condemning the war, until one day she got horrible news of Muslims bombarding her village. In fear of losing her child, she hastily reached the village, but she only found the ruins of the orphanage. Hopeless of getting news about survived children, she decided to come back. But, after witnessing a dramatic homicide by Christians, burning in revenge, Nawal joined Muslim partisans, resulting in shooting a prominent Christian leader. For about 15 years, she was tortured without revealing any names. To tolerate such a dreadful situation, she got the reputation of “the singing woman” for she sang all the time, as she was singing to her child, until the day she faced Abu-Taregh, THE torturer, who raped her so many times to get her pregnant. She left the country after giving birth to twins (here, the twins shockingly learned about their father). To her kids, she always looked silent, confused, and lunatic. Shortly before her death, still burning to find her lost child, Nawal noticed the birthmark of her child on a tall young man’s foot in a swimming pool. Confused, hopeful, stressed, she approached the young man. He was not any one but Abu-Taregh, The torturer! (Here, the twins sadly learned about their brother too.)

Though months have passed since I watched “Incendies”, the story has come vivid to my memory so many times. The story points to a long-lasting human conflict and warns us how such conflicts give rise to a chain of relentless revenge. Apart from the invaluable lessons that the story gives, its strong emotional element—the very natural love of a mother for its offspring—sincerely touched me. But, I should admit the great success of the story lies in its mysterious plot; each chapter delicately revealed a piece of the puzzle, leaving the reader/audience wanting more. I got entirely hooked, held, and paid off by this amazing story.