INCENDIARY

UK, 2008, 110 minutes, Colour.
Michelle Williams, Ewan Mc Gregor, Matthew Mac Fadyen, Sid Nicholas Gleaves, Usman Khokhar.
Directed by Sharon Maguire.

The original novel by Chris Cleave may have been moving and exciting but Sharon Maguire's adaptation, while it may have sounded moving and exciting on paper, has not translated to the screen as well as it might have. It is highly contrived and melodramatic with too many coincidences and takes an exhortatory tone about contemporary terrorism and dealing with the horror and the grief.

Michelle Williams (English accent and all) plays an unhappy wife but a very loving mother in North London. Her husband works for the bomb disposal unit and anti-terrorist forces. His boss is played sombrely by Matthew Mac Fadyen. The mother, never named, refers to herself as a London slapper (not the impression she gives when with her son) but she takes up with a womanising journalist (Ewan Mc Gregor). Then, sudden disaster as the Arsenal stadium explodes with suicide bombers. The mother has to deal with her grief for her son, almost to the point of delusions and madness.

The journalist seems to have a very sudden change of heart and lifestyle and investigates a lead concerning one of the bombers and tells the mother. She finds the bomber's son, follows him and strikes up a friendship. This leads to a near repetition of the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes by police at a London station after the 2005 bombings.

The cast do their best, especially Michelle Williams and the two children. However, it does not quite gell and is not as persuasive about its concerns as it wants to be.

1.A topical story? The UK? Terrorism?

2.The title, the reference to Hitler and World War Two, the incendiary bombs? Lenny and his job, bomb defusion? The stadium and the explosion? The consequences?

3.The aim of the film: concerning terror, horror at deaths, grief, rebuilding? Madness, family, betrayal and forgiveness? The melodramatic content and style? Exhortatory? Credible or not?

4.The device of the letter to Osama, from the mother, the various inserts throughout the film, the finale, the moral, urging Osama bin Laden to see the grief and the children dead?

5.The introduction by the mother, the voice-over? Her mood, her playing with her son, blinking, the old rabbit, putting it in the washing machine? Telling the story about her husband, falling out of love with him, the past? Happy and unhappy? Lenny and his attitude in the house, loving his wife or not? Going to work, the difficulties and pressures, at home, the television, meals? With his son? Taking him to the football game? The mother and her story, and her attitude towards herself? Taking her son to Camber Sands? Playing – and the recurring memory?

6.Going out in the evening, the encounter with Jasper in the pub, the wordplay, being tough, yet succumbing to him? The night, its effect? Her meeting Jasper, saying she should have said no? At home in the afternoon, seductive, the television and the impact of the explosion?

7.The explosion, the deaths, the terror, the horror? Her going to the stadium, the search, the rabbit? The injuries when the material fell on her? In the hospital? The blimp with the photos of those who have died – in the air over London? In memoriam? The relationship with Terrence? His going to St Paul’s with her for the memorial service?

8.Lenny, his job, the introduction to the bombs and terror, the incendiary theme? With his son? The finale and the flashback about the British attitude after the Fire of London, rebuilding?

9.Jasper, at the pub, his friend, the bet, the womanising? His evening with the mother? The explosion and his taking her to the site? Her wariness of him? His work, finding the photo of the bomber? The information? Sharing it with the mother? Her going to St Albans, finding the boy, the mother, in the shop, following the boy, befriending him? Talking, paying for his food? The cricket bat, taking him to Camber Sands? The chase in Waterloo Station, her standing in front of the bullet, being grazed?

10.The boy, his mother and her work in the shop, truancy from school, going to meet his father, the promise of the cricket bat? His memories of his father and description? The bond with the Mother? His shock at finding the news about his father, the chase, the police pulling the gun on him? The end, he and his mother meeting the woman, the letter, saying they were sorry?

11.Jasper and his love for the woman, safeguarding her, his research, finding the list and Terrence’s name on it, writing the article, the publication, the effect? At the hospital, the discussions with Terrence, their clash about security?

12.Terrence and his work, his responsibilities, his being on the list for the match, the encounter with Jasper? His love for the Mother, sharing her grief, his wife leaving him, the explanations? The information about the match, the suspects, wanting information – and not expecting or anticipating such disaster? Percentages and risks?

13.Terrence and his wife, his discussions about caravans, the drink, the story, his relationship with the Mother?

14.The shooting at Waterloo Station, the mother in the hospital? Her return home, her living in a deluded state, reliving the past, imagining her son at home, looking at the blimp? Going out, reality, her son dead, not finding him at home? Going on the roof – her not killing herself, an affirmation of life?

15.Her pregnancy, Jasper and his concern, giving birth, the cry and hope?

16.How well did the film work as an entertainment, a female point of view, as a message film?