By Emilio Frenk.
Director: Terry George
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale, Charlotte Le Bon, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Daniel Giménez-Cacho, Marwan Kenzari, Tom Hollander, Numan Acar, Alicia Borrachero and Jean Reno.
Rating: Very Good.
Academy Award Winner Terry George brings “The Promise”, a powerful drama that delivers outstanding results.
Set in the last days of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, the movie tells the true story of Mikael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac), an Armenian aspiring Physician who has the desire to study in The Imperial Medical Academy in Constantinople.
His wish comes true and she will meet Ana Khesarian (Charlotte Le Bon) an Armenian girl who was raised in Paris.
From the minute that Mikael meets Ana there is an instant connection between them and Ana falls for him despite having a relationship with American Journalist Chris Meyers (Christian Bale). This will set up not only a real conflict but also a love triangle.
To make things worst Mikael has to go back to Armenia since he kept his promise that involves the marriage of a wealthy woman.
Now Mikael has to decide in either going back to his country or stay in Constantinople risking his life.
One of the things that I liked of “The Promise” was the tone of the film and the originality of the film as well since it´s set in The Ottoman Empire and it is seen by a different point of view.
The screenplay written by Terry George, who joined forces with Academy Award Nominee Robin Swicord (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Memoirs of Geisha”) was beautifully crafted and you can tell that both filmmakers got into deep on the genocide between Turkey and Armenia and of course in the love story.
The characters of this film are so rich and everyone has a very unique and different level of conflict that makes it even much interesting to see.
Terry George is one of the masters of this genre. We have seen it in movies like “In The Name of The Father” and “Hotel Rwanda” where he not only created characters with both internal, external conflicts but unforgettable ones.
The performances by Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and Charlotte Le Bon are top of the nutch and Oscar Isaac I confirm that is one of the most talented actors in recent years and every time I see a performance of him is a gem and a blessing.
The cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobewhose most notable work is “Blue Jasmine”, “The Others” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” is outstanding. The way how he captured with his imagery the love story and the genocide was sharp and this makes him as one of the greatest cinematographers in the industry today.
Honestly I was not having any expectations on watching “The Promise” and I thought that it was going to be cheezy romantic story but I was proven wrong and I was very satisfied with the result.
If you are a history lover I can guarantee you that you are going to love this movie and even if you don´t I still you are going to enjoy it.
One piece of advice before watching “The Promise” is to be prepared, open and most of all be aware that is a movie that contains very hard and graphic imagery that involves violence.
Yes the movie has a slow pacing but is for a purpose and it´s one of things that I really appreciated of this film that it had to be long since not only involves a love story but also as a member of the audience you can understand the conflict between Turkey and Armenia.
Terry George directed a great film with “The Promise” and it´s one of the biggest surprises of this year. I highly recommend this movie and this movie indeed will make you cry.