09 September 2004

Egoyan and the Genocide: another perspective

At the end of July I wrote a review of Atom Egoyan's Ararat, which I had seen recently and found wanting. A few days ago I discovered that a certain Raffi, who lists as his homepage cilicia.com, left a comment which I had missed at the time. I thought I would reproduce it here, since it offers a viewpoint from someone whose family was affected by the Genocide:

I think you are mistaken in your assumption that Egoyan was trying to make a definitive film on the genocide, or even in saying that [his] film "is about THE genocide". It is a typical Egoyan movie, and I would say his tribute to the victims of the genocide (which I would say includes the descendants). It is about the reverberations even 80 years later, and the effects of the denial. It is a movie that I think really he made for himself, and which probably is appreciated best by those who have grown up as descendants of the genocide, as Armenians, but far from the Armenia of today.

If Egoyan had wanted to do a Schindlers List, and reach the entire planet, it is obvious he would not have made the movie in the way he did. It would have been much simpler, like the Sweet Hereafter, or Felicia's Journey.

Anyway - off of my soapbox now, but I just wanted to share from the persective of a descendant of the genocide...

Thanks, Raffi.

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