The Promise

A 2016 American epic historical war drama film directed by Terry George, who co-wrote the screenplay with Robin Swicord. Set during the final years of the Ottoman Empire, the film explores a love triangle between Armenian medical student Mikael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac), American journalist Chris Myers (Christian Bale), and Ana Khesarian (Charlotte Le Bon), an Armenian woman raised in France. Mikael leaves his fiancée Maral (Angela Sarafyan) in his hometown of Siroun to pursue medical studies in Constantinople. There, he meets Ana, who is in a relationship with Chris, leading to a mutual attraction between Mikael and Ana. As the Armenian genocide unfolds, Mikael is conscripted into a labor camp but manages to escape. Returning to Siroun, he finds his village devastated and many residents killed. Together with Ana and a group of orphans, they join the resistance on Mount Musa Dagh, where Armenians fend off attacks from the Ottoman army. Eventually, the French navy evacuates the survivors, but Ana drowns during the bombardment. Mikael adopts his niece Yeva and emigrates with her to Watertown, Massachusetts. Critics split over the film, and it bombed at the box office: roughly $12 million came back on a $90 million budget. However, the filmmakers emphasized that the primary goal was to raise awareness about the Armenian genocide rather than achieve commercial success. The soundtrack features "The Promise" by Chris Cornell, which became his final single before his death.