Motherhood has done something to me; it’s made me soft, so when it comes to watching a film like Incendiary, about a woman trying to deal with the loss of her 4-year-old boy and husband in a terrorist bomb attack in London, a box of tissues is required.

Motherhood has done something to me; it’s made me soft, so when it comes to watching a film like Incendiary, about a woman trying to deal with the loss of her 4-year-old boy and husband in a terrorist bomb attack in London, a box of tissues is required.

Incendiary stars Michelle Williams brandishing a pretty good East End London accent, Ewan McGregor as a tabloid journalist and Matthew MacFadyen as head of the Anti-Terrorist Squad.  Adapted from the novel by Chris Cleave, Incendiary is very different from director Sharon Maquire’s previous work, Bridget Jones’s Diary; rather than light and fluffy it’s an exploration of bereavement and guilt.

 Incendiary dips its toe into various genres. It is part terrorist thriller, complete with conspiracy theories and curious journalists, part drama, part romance; but mostly Maquire concentrates on the reaction of one person, Williams’s unnamed character, to take us through life after the bombing. Williams puts in a good effort, no doubt drawing on her own experience of grief (after losing her ex-partner and her daughter’s father Heath Ledger to an accidental drug overdose three years ago), however both McGregor and McFayden are underused.

It’s always difficult for American’s to take on English roles. Sure, Renee Zellweger did it beautifully in Bridget Jones’s Diary, but more recently Anne Hathaway has been ridiculed for her role as a Northerner in One Day. Thankfully, Williams isn’t afraid of challenging roles (think of the emotionally raw Blue Valentine and Brokeback Mountain), and she carries this film impressively. Possibly one of her biggest challenges to date though is a role we haven’t seen yet, Marilyn Monroe in the yet to be released My Week With Marilyn.

To prepare for this role, Williams watched Monroe’s films, read every autobiography and Monroe writings she could find, looked through photos, spent hours practicing Monroe's vocal cadences and reportedly walked around the house in high heels with a belt tied around her knees to achieve that famous wiggle walk. All this to play one week in Marilyn’s life while in England filming The Prince and the Showgirl. Needless to say, there is already Oscar talk surrounding William’s performance.

Don’t miss this talented young actress in Incendiary, Monday 21^st November, 8.30pm.

Enjoy. 

Click here to watch the trailer, read more and see the schedule