A Promessa

If you've studied WWI a bit, you'll know that while the Ottoman Empire was crumbling a group called the "Young Turks" decided that Turkey would rid itself of everyone not Turkish. If you agreed to convert to Islam, you might be spared. So much happened and on such a large scale that you could easily do a mini-series, so the film is a little long and some conflation of things was necessary. It is not unrealistic that Armenians could escape from one situation and then simply find themselves driven from one horror to another. Yes, some Armenians were worked to death by the military, some escaped and tried to hide out, and yes, a few thousand were rescued off of Musa Dagh (a mountain), close to the Mediterranean Sea. Bottom line, this film manages to convey the horror of being hated simply for who you are and targeted for extermination. Oscar Isaac is just phenomenal, and the rest of the cast is very good. The incredible atrocities are played down, fact is if they showed the viewer even 15% of what happened in detail, it would make it hard to attract viewers. The genocide against Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and other non-Turks is well documented and supported by historians in general. It's a historical fact. The only historians who try to downplay or deny there was a genocide are usually being supported financially by the Turkish government. Those who did not die were largely women/girls who were handed off to Turkish families. I would guess that a large portion of Turks do in fact have an Armenian grandmother or great grandmother. After years of the Turkish government threatening the diaspora and attacking anyone who insisted that this happened, it is extremely heartening that this film has been made.

God bless all the people who made this fill possible. Not just for the Amermenian genocide perpetrated by the Turks, but for the Greeks and Assyria s also.

On another note, it it completely insane how there are so many 1 star reviews on a movie of this caliber. I guess it helps reveal the evil is still alive to this day when it comes to this subject.

I saw this movie at the Sonoma International Film Festival, and although I felt like it could have been edited tighter, it was an amazing story that I'm glad that I experienced. The acting was great, the period costumes and sets were flawless, and the story that it told was heartbreaking and needed to be told. I doubt there was a dry eye in the house (my wife and I certainly cried).

Should be required viewing in every high school Social Studies class to show the dangers of alternative facts and disputed leadership and the necessity of individual moral fortitude. History forgotten is history repeated. Every viewer will be forced to examine what they would be willing to sacrifice, what actions would they take, what can or can't they live with? While the romance is beautiful and an obvious audience draw, it is the beautiful photography and the Oscar caliber acting by Oscar Issac earning my score. How sad is it no studio would touch this subject requiring the private funding of an Armenian billionaire?

Well, screw those who would destroy History because truth hurts their feelings. The Armenian genocide happened, and whoever tries to censor this film will do so in vain, or so I hope.

The movie is good, in general Oscar Isaac doesn't disappoint, and Le Bon adorably shines. That said, the crude, sad part is hard enough to watch, especially when you consider what's been shown is a mild version of what happened.

It's a good movie, even though a ten is too much, I have to over-vote it to compensate for those who willingly down-vote in order to bury the truth in the sand. Worth to get to know what happened, if only because many wouldn't want you to.