Incendiary (2008/I)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Sharon Maguire

Writers:

Chris Cleave (book)
Sharon Maguire (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 October 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

The truth can blow you apart.

Plot:

An adulterous woman's life is torn apart when her husband and infant son are killed in a suicide bombing at a soccer match.

Plot Keywords:

Grief | Beach | Mother | Caravan | Female Nudity

Cast

Michelle Williams	...	Young Mother
Ewan McGregor	...	Jasper Black
Matthew Macfadyen	...	Terrence Butcher
Nicholas Gleaves	...	Lenny
Sidney Johnston	...	The Boy
Usman Khokhar	...	Bomber's Son
Sasha Behar	...	Bomber's Wife
Edward Hughes	...	Danny Walsh
Alibe Parsons	...	Pearl
Stewart Wright	...	Charlie
Al Ashton	...	Male Survivor (as Al Hunter Ashton)
Benjamin Wilkin	...	Young Policeman
Robin Berry	...	Dazed Supporter
Mercy Ojelade	...	Nurse Mena
Joe Marshall	...	Gary / VT Man

Also Known As:

Blown Apart (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for a strong sex scene and brief language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:16 | Finland:K-13 | USA:R | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:R21

Filming Locations:

Camber Sands, Camber, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Aramid Entertainment Fund

Trivia:

Natalie Dormer filmed two days, playing the role of Ewan McGregor's girlfriend, but her role ended up on the cutting room floor. Nevertheless, she called it a "great experience".

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where her husband's boss is taking her to the memorial for the dead, her facial cuts are quite healed and well into the scarring stage. But a few minutes later in the scene where she's watching home movies, her facial cuts appear to be freshly scabbed over and quite irritated around the edges.

Quotes:

Young Mother: I wonder, did you celebrate when you heard my boys got killed? Did you turn on the radio and hear them say a thousand and three dead? Did you put down your mouth over the rocks and kneel down to pray? I prayed. I prayed for the deaths toll to go up to a thousand and four and take me too.

Movie Connections:

References The Evil Dead (1981)

The Many Faces of Terrorism

INCENDIARY comes as a surprise release on DVD: did it even have a theatrical release? Based on a book by Chris Cleave and adapted for the screen by director Sharon Maguire, this little film is notable on many levels. First, the story is another look at the topic of terrorism, revealing the effects of these senseless catastrophes much like America's 9/11 tragedy on all players - the survivors of the victims, the survivors of the perpetrators, and the way so much of life changes in the wake of explosive surprises and the strength to survive in the aftermath of these traumas.

A Young Mother (an astonishingly fine performance by Michelle Williams) opens the film with thoughts and demonstrations of the love she holds for her young son (Sidney Johnson) while she copes with the too frequent absences of her husband Lenny (Nicholas Gleaves): Lenny is part of London's Anti-terrorism division of the police force. The feeling of unfulfilled desires by this isolated young woman are magnified as she watches her newspaper reporter neighbor Jasper Black (Ewan McEwan) across the street escorting yet another tipsy dolly into his apartment. Lenny leaves, the mother lovingly puts her son to bed, then she goes out to a bar where she encounters none other than Jasper trying to tempt her to his lair. The needy mother submits to Jasper's intentions and in a brief moment of desire succumbs to her physical needs.

Another day passes and as Lenny and their son depart for the soccer game, the mother is again willingly seduced by Jasper, only to have their assignation interrupted by an explosion at the stadium where Lenny and her son are watching the game. The guilt-ridden adulterous mother flees to the stadium where she is injured attempting to find her family. Now hospitalized with injuries she faces visits from Jasper as well as from her husband's co- worker Terrance (Matthew Macfadyen). Once released form the hospital she discovers the withheld name and picture of one of the suicide bombers responsible for the attack and deaths - and she learns that the bomber was a suspect being watched by Terrance who could possibly have prevented her loss. She learns the name of the suicide bomber's family, meets the bomber's son (Usman Khokhar) and wife (Sasha Behar) and eventually allows herself to meet them. The consequences of all of this information and chance meetings and the afterburn of her association with Jasper and Terrance (both of whom profess love for her) make for a startling ending, but an ending that for once helps us understand the psychology of our current world of terrorism threat and the need to heal and move on.

The performances are excellent, with special attention paid to the gifts of Michelle Williams whose perfect British accent will be a surprise to most viewers: this is a career altering role for her. The film develops slowly, deals with a lot of internal dialog, but in the end the effect is one of powerful impact. Highly recommended.

Grady Harp