This is a corker of a film. It starts with twins Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) being read their mother Nawal's (Lubna Azabal) will through which she requests they find their father, whom they thought was dead and a brother they never knew they had. Once they find them they are to give them each a letter and only then can she can be buried.
With their mother's unknown past hammering on their door, Jeanne decides to leave for the Middle East to search for her brother and father. Simon, who is having problems coming to terms with the situation initially decides to stay at home but as Jeanne starts to discover the truth is persuaded to fly out to help.
The film then interweaves the siblings search and the story of their mother's violent and heartbreaking early life from her teens at the outbreak of religious unrest and then civil war in an unnamed Middle Eastern country - most likely Lebanon. The two threads gradually draw together as Jeanne and Simon discover the truth.
And it is stark, shocking, intelligent and gripping. Beautifully shot and acted it is one of those films that lingers long after you leave the cinema.
It's getting 87% from me. Over on Rotten Tomatoes it's got 92% from both critics and viewers while on IMDb it's got 8.2/10.
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