Incendiary (2008)

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

Director:

Sharon Maguire

Writers:

Chris Cleave (novel), Sharon Maguire

Stars:

Michelle Williams, Ewan McGregor, Matthew Macfadyen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michelle Williams	...	Young Mother
Ewan McGregor	...	Jasper Black
Matthew Macfadyen	...	Terrence Butcher
Nicholas Gleaves	...	Lenny
Sidney Johnston	...	The Boy
Usman Khokhar	...	The Bomber's Son
Sasha Behar	...	The Bomber's Wife
Ed Hughes	...	Danny Walsh (as Edward Hughes)
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

Storyline

Grief, guilt, and betrayal. In North London, a young mother dotes on her four-year-old son and lives in a modest flat with her husband, a cop in the bomb squad. The Arsenal football team is their religion. On May Day, a major terrorist attack brings tragedy while she is in the arms of a rich reporter who lives over the road. She wishes she were dead. In grief and guilt, she pursues revenge, faces betrayal, experiences delusions, and may be suicidal. Two men seek her affection: the reporter and a colleague of her husband's who imagines caravan camping with her on a beach. In London, the city of the Great Fire and of Hitler's bombardment, is there any way back to life for her?

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Plot Keywords:

guilt | grief | soccer match | beach | caravan | 

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Taglines:

The truth can blow you apart.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a strong sex scene and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Blown Apart

Filming Locations:

Camber Sands, Camber, East Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aramid Entertainment Fund, Archer Street Productions, Capitol Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last feature film of Nicholas Courtney.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Boy: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Go...
The Boy: Mummy you blinked, I won.
Young Mother: Yes you did. Now in you get. Tomorrow we're going to the sea-side.
Young Mother: [narration - boy running on the beach] So, if I'm going to show you my life, better start here. My boy, in Camber Sands. Why this and why now? I'll come back to that.
The Boy: Mummy!
Young Mother: [narration] A force of nature was what the midwife called him when he came howling into this world four years ago. And he hasn't stopped since.
The Boy: Mummy!
Young Mother: [narration] Me and him spend a lot of time ...
[...]

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Connections

References The Evil Dead (1981)

User Reviews

Everyone is a critic!

I have seen a negative review on this movie and I have to say that I am very tired of people picking apart movies to show how smart they think they are! This was a tragic and beautifully filmed movie that reminded me so much of The Sweet Hereafter. I believe that some people have a hard time watching others go through tragedy and grief and are uncomfortable expressing themselves. This movie drew a lump to my throat the size of a golf ball and made me hug my son extra hard at bedtime. Michelle Williams gives another outstanding performance and Ewan MacGregor is, as always, a complete pleasure to watch on screen. This film will come out on DVD this year and I would urge anyone with a heart to embrace it.