Review of The Promise (2016) by Stella M — 21 Apr 2017

Some might say I am biased but I did invite 3 other friends who were not really familiar with the details of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire during WWI in 1915. After we saw the movie I asked them how did they like it? They were all very happy that they saw it. Not only because it was beautifully done but they were really engaged and learned something new that they said they had not paid enough attention too. This was besides the cinematography and well balanced romance vs history and a lesson of untold Genocide kept in dark and silenced for more than 100 years.

It is an embarrassing era for current Turkish government and of course they deny with every political tool they have this truth. But you can google it yourselves, visit historical archives of USA museums and Europe, Even Germany's archives which were kept secret for many years because they were Turkey's ally during WWI have been recently made public which detail This first Genocide of the 20th century which became the blueprint of Hitler's killings and the Jewish Holocaust. Hitler himself said during WWII when asked how he will explain his orders for killing Jews, he answered:"Who remembers the Armenian Genocide of 1.5 million Armenians?" And went on to kill more than 7 million Jews. So go ahead deny the history and look the other way especially now when the world is so tense and whispers of war is all around in Asian continent, and see if you can stop the next Genocide from happening, without learning from history.

So yes it is important to me as it should be to any decent human being to accept that history does have dark chapters and pages but ripping those pages out of the books and attempting to keep people in the dark only harms all of humanity.

I strongly suggest to see this movie not only because it is beautifully done and acted but because its historic value and lesson. Then come here and write couple lines about your honest thoughts.

Thank you.