Review of The Promise (2017) by Gohar P — 25 Apr 2017

I would liken this film to Dr. Zhivago in that it covers a romance against a backdrop of the horrific crimes that take place, in this case the last days of the Ottoman Empire against the Christian Armenian population.

There are great performances - Oscar Isaac as Mikael and Marwan Kenzari were standouts to me. A bit long but it does bring into focus the various elements of the times that are important to note - the systematic rounding up of clergy, business people, leaders of the Armenian minority to decapitate any leadership from organizing resistance; the resistance at Musa Dagh and rescue from the French; the friendships that did exist between the Turks and Armenians prior to these events.

Ultimately, it's a historical drama with that should resonate with people as we watch other nations perpetrating the same crimes against minorities and often against their own peoples. We need to learn from history.