The 'Promise'; Shohreh Aghdashloo and the Armenian Genocide

The centenary of the Armenian massacre in the Ottoman Empire, which according to many historians claimed approximately one and a half million Armenian lives, has sparked new discussions in this area, naturally leading to cinema as well. Now, on the 102nd anniversary of this event, we are faced with the release of a film about it: 'The Promise' is a new film by Terry George with a budget of one hundred million dollars that attempts to narrate the story of this 'genocide' of Armenians within a relatively engaging romantic narrative. It seems that the creators of the film - both in terms of screenplay and direction - have no intention of innovation or attempting a new experience; they merely want to implement Hollywood-style storytelling in a relatively grand production and a love story that could have taken place at any other time, engaging the viewer in a historical context about a less mentioned event through an impossible romantic relationship that, due to the bitter events surrounding it, cannot have a happy ending. The performances of some actors in certain scenes - especially crowded scenes - detract from the film, while all the main actors appear exaggeratedly, as if they are on a theater stage; a problem that many Hollywood historical/epic films have, under the assumption that serious films in a historical context necessarily require exaggerated and theatrical performances. In this context, Shohreh Aghdashloo, in her latest appearance, plays the role of the main character's mother; a mother who hides the hardships of the era within her and tries to convey the bitterness of the surrounding events through her eyes. In the first half of the film, her presence is like any anxious mother worried about her child, and in the second half (after surviving the massacre), we encounter a quieter and more introverted mother who becomes a bitter observer, and after confessing to her son's love interest, a heavy burden has been lifted from her shoulders, allowing her to die in peace. Before the film holds any value in its historical narration, it attempts to find its strength in building a complex romantic relationship involving four individuals in various ways. The viewer initially connects with Mikael (an Armenian who leaves his village to study medicine while promising to marry a girl named Maral, but falls in love with another girl named Anna in the city, who lives with an American journalist named Chris) and can somewhat understand his feelings; this is the point that can engage the viewer in the subsequent romantic events, although the film's style heavily relies on evoking the viewer's emotions and moistening their eyes. However, like many other films of this kind, there are several beautiful scenes in the film that, regardless of the historical/romantic context, are captivating; including a moment when Chris and Mikael - romantic rivals - join hands to help others (a kind of overcoming the compulsion of circumstances over personal issues) and later on a boat, they are forced to share a common sorrow for which they have no remedy. In fact, the film transitions from the theme of love to the theme of friendship among its characters; a friendship that forms one night in a four-person gathering during a drinking session, and the fourth person in this gathering - Mikael's Turkish friend - later becomes a victim of this friendship - and that night of four - in two stages: once when he tries to save Mikael's Armenian uncle and his father sends him to military service in response to this audacity, and the second time when he calls the American embassy to rescue Chris from prison but is executed after the matter is leaked. However, the romantic rivals, Mikael and Chris, find a bond of friendship that apparently stays with them for life: Chris helps Mikael go to America. The film actually follows the Hollywood formula in conveying a moral message; where at the end, in the most clichéd manner possible, the narrator - who fortunately had a forgotten presence throughout the story - returns, leading us to World War II, where Mikael makes slogan-like remarks at his nephew's wedding. 'The Promise' once again proves how a large budget, grand scenes with numerous extras, and even an engaging story within a not-so-well-told historical reality can go to waste without the presence of a creative director.