Author: Roger Ebert Published: April 27, 2011 Translator: Vigilius Score: ★★★☆ (Four stars are full marks)
After her mother died, her boss called the Montreal twins to his office. She worked for him almost 20 years ago after fleeing sectarian violence in a country similar to Lebanon. They learned that she had left two letters to the children. Jenny was asked to give her letter to the father they had never met. Simon was asked to give his letter to his brother whom they had never met.
This is truly the plot of a thriller, and Dennis Villeneuve's Oscar-nominated "Scorched Earth" doesn't shy away from that fact. But the film is more than a thriller, it manages to show how stupid and futile it is to hate others for their religion. Most people don't choose their religion, they are forced to choose it by birth, and the lesson of Scorched Earth is that the contingency of birth is not a reason for hatred.
The heroine who came to this conclusion was Naval, the author of the two letters, the mother of the twins. Jenny travels to the Middle East to fulfill her mother's wish. Simon aggrieved and stayed in Canada until later in the story. In flashbacks triggered by Jenny's meeting and conversation, we learn about Naval's early life. Born a Christian, she fell in love with a Muslim. It was impossible for both of them in that era and place. It takes her on a romantic, religious and political odyssey and inspires her to do some incredible things.
Around her, others were doing incredible things. Those who are not murderers by nature kill others and defend themselves in the name of their gods. When enough people die, they also don't need their gods anymore, because they are doing personal or tribal revenge. A season of murder expands into years of revenge. Villeneuve is especially chilling when he shows teens killing their peers with rifles, neither of whom are old enough to understand the gift of life.
The plot of Scorched Earth is based on a play by Waji Mu'awad, who is described as consisting of poetic monologues. Villeneuve's script reframes the plot in a way that's more appropriate to the film, where it's often better to show something than to evoke its spiritual image. The core story in it, with just a few tweaks, can be a noir set in any country and choose among all the pathetic excuses people make for murder.
Set against a Middle Eastern setting, the film has a modern feel, with scenes of war, rape and torture laconic and unforgiving. Lubana Azbar's performance as Naval is convincing; she helps us understand, in a visceral way, why she's doing it in this unfortunate situation. Villeneuve's script and director effectively bring clarity to events that might otherwise be blurred. He reveals the film's shocking secrets through cryptic dialogue, and it's perfect.
You don't know the ending of the movie from me, the impact is amazing. I'm not sure if it's strictly logical, but when the purpose is to reveal, the logic can be forgotten. And when the revelation comes, the pathos of "legitimate" murder and brutality will be laid bare.
After watching the movie, you may be asking yourself a question: What is the purpose of the mother giving these letters to her children? Yes, they should know the truth about their father and brother. She could have told them - either in life or in letters. But through these letters, she assigned them a task that could easily fail. If they didn't find the recipient, they wouldn't know the truth. So what are these letters for?
Of course, they motivated Jenny's travels and, later, Simon's. They are essentially MacGuffins. That's why I'm not bothered by this approach. The MacGuffin was a way to get the story started, and Scorched Earth tells a shocking one.
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