1915, written and directed by Garin Hovannisian and Alec Mouhibian, tells the story of Simon (Simon Abkarian), who is directing a play he has written about the Armenian genocide of 1915. His wife, Angela (Angela Sarafyan), who plays the lead character, immerses herself in her role in a manner that begins to disturb the other cast members. The play is controversial, and the director and producer receive death threats. It gradually becomes clear that Simon and Angela have a dark secret.
1915 starts off with a promising premise, but it turns into a bombastic psychological thriller, filled with implausibilities. There is, for example, a silly subplot in which one of the male characters disguises himself as a woman for no apparent reason. However, this film deals with the theme of denial in a manner that is both poignant and pointed. To this day, the Turkish government refuses to admit that the genocide happened (no doubt so they won’t have to pay reparations). And our own government refuses to officially acknowledge it happened. (Because Turkey is our ally!)
One hopes that 1915 will create greater awareness of the Armenian genocide.
