Denis Villeneuve's "Incendies" — a film about a twins' trip to the Middle East based on a mother's last wishes to search for their roots is one of five nominees for Best Foreign Language film in Oscar nominations announced yesterday.
The other nominees are "Biutiful" (Mexico), "Dogtooth" (Greece), "In a Better World" (Denmark), and "Outside the Law" (Algeria).
As you might guess from the director's name, "Incendies" comes from the French-Canadian cinema. The only Canadian director to win Best Foreign Language film was Denys Arcand, who won the Oscar for "Barbarian Invasions" in 2004.
"Incendies" is the fifth Canadian nominee for the Oscar. The Decline of the American Empire (1986), Jesus of Montréal (1989), and Water (2006) also were nominated. The first two of these films were directed by Arcand. And "Water" is essentially an Indian film in Canada.
I do watch a lot of foreign films, and sometimes it's a crap shoot as to whether I have seen any of the nominees. "Biutiful" stars Javier Bardem, an Oscar winner. But the one movie on the list I did see was one of the amazing — and strange — films I have ever seen.
You can't watch "Dogtooth" and come away without an opinion. Again, I see a lot of foreign films and this one made an impression. If "Incendies" does not win, I am absolutely rooting for "Dogtooth" — I enjoyed it that much.
But since the movie is a little strange, mainstream voters might not pick this film. Then again, the movie has made the Top 5 in the world.
If I get a chance to see "Incendies" before the Oscars, I will have a review. The Oscars airs on February 27 on ABC in the United States and CTV in Canada.
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