Watch Ararat

Ararat traces the impact of the 1915 Armenian genocide on four generations that follow. While not a historical drama, the events depicted are accurate and the Ottoman Empire's policy of ethnic cleansing during World War I provides the dramatic background. This background is then used as the plot engine to develop four different, equally interesting characters - their stories then become the focus of the movie. Viewers find out about Turkey's attack on the village of Van along with the hero, a young man learning about the Armenian Holocaust through the work of his father who documented it. Other threads pick up the story of a history professor interested in the genocide and a survivor. Surprisingly, the movie doesn't drift into a stock format. It explores the interactions between subsequent generations instead of relying on easy tears from the tragedy. By doing so, Ararat both informs and keeps viewers interested in the modern day characters instead of dwelling on the past.