The movie 1915 may just look like a movie alerting its viewers of the horrors of the Armenian Genocide and how they impact the lives of modern-day Armenians (which is a totally applicable and reasonable way of viewing the movie), the movie can also be read as the personal struggle and repent of Simon, as he attempts to remedy his wife's doomed condition. But before I can elaborate on this, there are some negatives that the movie holds. For example, the movie was a little too slow, with many scenes staying for longer than they should. Although this can signify the realism of the characters, due to there being long silences in many real-life dramatic scenarios, it still lowered the attraction of the movie, but not by a serious amount. Now, for the story itself, it can be read as a review on the genocide and how it affects everyone, but I believe that it can be viewed with more psychological analysis. I view the movie as being about Simon and his struggles in life, and not about the Armenian Genocide. The film shows that (to my understanding) Simon is a very patriotic man, as he believes that if you stand for something, you must give it 110% of your dedication. This explains his focus on respecting the ghosts of the dead, the ignoring of the protesters, and even the abandonment of his relative, who he deemed as not as dedicated as him. This is also very evident in the fact that he thinks that he can cure his wife's depression after losing their son, and uses the Armenian Genocide as both a tool to help her cope, and a tool to keep him going. But just like radiation, after using this to attempt to cure his wife, he also becomes convinced of his ideals, and because of his attitude to life, he has no intention of self-evaluation, until the start of the movie. Here, he sees how he has psychologically damaged his wife and thusly doomed her, and seeks of a way of redemption. He settles that the only way that he can fix the problem is by cutting him from her life, as shown by him desperately wanting his wife to take the soldier's hand in the play. Once she finally does, his conscious is cleared, or so he thinks, and he attempts to leave for good. However, he still hasn't d cured himself of his self-delusions, and finds himself back in 1915. Sadly, his wife was never truly changed for the better, as although in the play she has a new family, she still hears the lullaby Simon sang to her when they were together. This interpretation might be right, or totally wrong, but the fact that it can exist means that this is a story well-done, which greatly contributes to the movie's quality.
Review of 1915
