I think this was nominated for a best foreign film Oscar last year (2010), though it is hitting best of the year lists for 2011. This happens with foreign films. Canada submits its movie to the Academy (Incendies), but that doesn't mean it has found a US distributor. After the nomination, it's easier to get a distributor. I could be making this up, but I believe that's how I've read it.
Anyway, it is amazing. You will not see many movies that hit you in the gut like this one. This is not an uplifting film. For me, it increases my understanding of the hate that lives for centuries in towns or countries, between neighbors of different faiths or tribes. I think we live with a very thin veneer of civilization. This movie will not leave you with too much hope for change, but it's a great story with solid acting. The director did a good job moving between the present and flashbacks; between life in Canada versus life in a small middle-eastern village with bombs falling everywhere.
A mother in Canada has two grown children - twins. One day at the pool with her daughter, she has a stroke and dies within days. She leaves letters for her children telling them they have a brother and a father, and she would like them to find these men. While searching for their relatives, the children learn that their mother was a rebel, had been a prisoner, had seen things they could not imagine. It changes everything for them.
I was gripped. I recommend this one. Put it at the top of your queue.
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