IMDb > Ararat (2002)
Ararat
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Ararat (2002) -- Interrogated by a customs officer, a young man recounts how his life was changed during the making of a film about the Armenian genocide claims.
Ararat (2002) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Oscar Nominations    Photos    more »

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   6,573 votes
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Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Atom Egoyan (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Ararat on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 September 2002 (France) more
Genre:
Tagline:
A Quest For Truth... Among Lies, Deception And Denial. more
Plot:
Interrogated by a customs officer, a young man recounts how his life was changed during the making of a film about the Armenian genocide claims. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
12 wins & 9 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(15 articles)
The double life of Atom Egoyan
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 21 January 2010, 3:50 PM, PST)

The Notable Films of 2010: Part Two
 (From Dark Horizons. 16 December 2009, 3:18 AM, PST)

User Reviews:
a giant multi-colored tapestry more (176 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Simon Abkarian ... Arshile Gorky
Charles Aznavour ... Edward Sorayan

Christopher Plummer ... David

Arsinée Khanjian ... Ani
Setta Keshishian ... Dinner Guest / Wailing Mother

David Alpay ... Raffi
Shant Srabian ... Dinner Guest #3 / Doctor #1
Marie-Josée Croze ... Celia

Elias Koteas ... Ali / Jevdet Bay
Brent Carver ... Philip

Max Morrow ... Tony
Christie MacFadyen ... Janet
Dawn Roach ... Customs Officer

Garen Boyajian ... Young Gorky
Lousnak Abdalian ... Gorky's Mother
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for violence, sexuality/nudity and language.
Runtime:
USA:115 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Quotes:
Raffi: But he thinks Turkey was at war with Armenia. Doesn't it bother you that he doesn't get the history?
Edward Saroyan: No, not really.
Raffi: I mean why didn't you explain to him that we were citizens, we were Turkish citizens. We had a right to be protected.
Edward Saroyan: Are you driving him home?
Raffi: Yeah.
Edward Saroyan: Huh. Take this.
[hands him dollar bills]
Edward Saroyan: Buy him a bottle of champagne. Let him think that he has done something special.
Raffi: Something special? I'm sorry, Mr Saroyan, I don't think I understand.
Edward Saroyan: Young man, do you know what still causes so much pain? It's not the people we lost, or the land. It's to know that we could be so hated. Who are these people, who could hate us so much? How can they still deny their hatred? And so hate us... hate us even more?
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The Making of 'Ararat' (2003) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Mystery more

FAQ

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17 out of 32 people found the following review useful.
a giant multi-colored tapestry, 24 January 2005
7/10
Author: stephen-357 from United States

A film within a film within a film that plays out through a myriad of interconnected stories sewn into a giant multi-colored tapestry. The so called "Armenian holocaust" is the fabric from which director Egoyan spins his narrative, and this event so heavily laden with emotional baggage, becomes almost impossible to approach with intellectual objectivity. The lines between fact and fiction are constantly blurred as in a scene where the protagonist walks onto a movie set about the "holocaust" and one of the characters scolds her, not as an actor, but as a very real character from that time. At times this constant commingling loses focus, but Egoyan's heartfelt attempt to bring back the dead through his art imitating art approach, succeeds surprisingly well. Although the "holocaust" is shown graphically, Egoyan is aware that we connect most deeply with that to which we can all relate, and this is shown right from the start as an artist attempts to transfer his childhood memories of murdered loved ones to a painter's canvas; the details of a mothers dress . . . the skin of a mothers hand . . . her fingers knitting a quilt. The vivid colors and simple reality of that hand are so compelling they can reach out across decades of despair to caress the forehead, reduce fever, and impart a sense of belonging - a reason for being. From this inauspicious beginning, Egoyan is able to arrive at a much greater truth: the inherent need for human beings to believe in something - whether or not that belief is grounded in reality or can be proved scientifically. Finally, ARATAT concludes with a simple truth that is just as powerful: the immeasurable but often neglected joy at being able to look upon our loved ones and to hold them in an embrace of life.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Ararat (2002)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Dear Atom Egoyan wim-vorster
'Ararat' on national Turkish tv channel.. mailonur
Documents surface re: genocide moenobber
Commentary better than the movie *Spoilers* hollandprojects
Canon Theatre, Toronto?? TheSpeedQueen
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