Review of Ararat (2002) by Gianluca C — 08 Mar 2011

This movie stayed in my mind long after I saw it. I was brought up with my Grandmother who resembled the mother of the painter in the movie. I have heard the tale of the massacre from my family and from my grandmother.

I have seen her scars. I have heard her wake up in the middle of the night screaming.... she died when she was about 100. Her exact age uncertain because she had blocked out memories. I have always been awed by her history and her ability to survive.

The movie brought back things that she taught me.... exactly. How could a movie bring the complexity of a people destroyed, yet in many ways vibrant. I have heard the same things that the turkish man in the movie said.

I was confused by the plot, but I could tell that the plot did not transcend the story- the story itself was like a painting. Like the hands of the mother in the painting, unfinished.... or left unclear for you and I to imagine.

Anyone seeing the movie should probably let go of a need to control the story and simply observe.... and get uncomfortable... take the nuggets of the film much like Charles Az... character did with the pomegranate, treasure the seeds in your stomach since history does not give us the room to eat each seed one at a time.

What I realized after the movie is how lucky I am to be alive. I am grateful for the courage and imagination that Egoyan and others used to create this ground breaking film. I am now two days after seeing the movie and I continue to appreciate what the artists did.

Anyone seeing the movie and judging it as a "melodrama" has not really understood it- I believe. The movie transcends a genocide of a people and brings up the issue of accountability for the every day person.

The movie affirms humanity and the value of a person's individual experience.