The Promise (2016)

Last updated:
June 8, 2025

The Promise (2016), directed by Terry George, is a sweeping historical drama set during the final years of the Ottoman Empire and the Armenian Genocide. Starring Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale, and Charlotte Le Bon, the film intertwines a love triangle with a grim and underrepresented chapter of world history.

Table of Contents

Detailed Summary

Setting the Stage: The Ottoman Empire, 1914

The story begins in 1914, just before World War I, in a small Armenian village in the Ottoman Empire. Mikael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac), an apothecary with dreams of becoming a doctor, is engaged to Maral, a local girl from his village. To fund his medical education in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), he accepts a dowry from Maral’s family, promising to marry her upon his return.

Constantinople and the Love Triangle

While studying medicine in the city, Mikael stays with his wealthy uncle and meets Ana (Charlotte Le Bon), a talented Armenian artist who’s in a relationship with American Associated Press reporter Chris Myers (Christian Bale). Despite Ana’s relationship with Chris, she and Mikael develop a powerful emotional connection that complicates their lives as the political climate darkens.

As World War I unfolds and the Ottoman government aligns with the Central Powers, a wave of violent nationalism surges through the empire. Armenians, seen as a threat, are increasingly targeted.

The Genocide Begins

The movie does not shy away from depicting the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. Mikael is arrested and sent to a labor camp but manages to escape. Upon returning to his village, he finds it destroyed, and his family either killed or displaced. He’s eventually reunited with Ana, and the two attempt to protect a group of orphans while evading Ottoman forces.

Meanwhile, Chris risks his life to report the atrocities to the outside world. His efforts to get the truth published are thwarted by censorship and political denial, but he refuses to give up.

Survival Against All Odds

The film shows multiple episodes of trauma: forced marches, executions, deportations, and brutal killings, all grounded in historical events. Mikael, Ana, and Chris take refuge in a remote mountain monastery that becomes a symbol of resistance for Armenians.

A rescue operation involving a French warship offers a chance for escape, but not everyone survives.

Movie Ending

In the film’s emotional climax, Mikael, Ana, and the orphans reach the mountain village of Musa Dagh, a real historical site of Armenian resistance. Turkish forces close in, and a violent confrontation seems inevitable. Chris, leveraging his connections, helps organize a rescue from a French navy ship.

During the evacuation, Ana helps get the children on board. As chaos erupts, Ana is separated and drowns in the sea, sacrificing herself to save the children. Mikael is left devastated.

The film ends years later, with Mikael recounting these events to his daughter—Ana’s name has been given to her in memory. We learn that Mikael returned to his village and kept his promise to Maral by marrying her, but the scars of war and personal loss remained. The film closes with a quote from Mikael’s journal and a dedication to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, reinforcing the movie’s central purpose: remembrance.

Are There Post-Credits Scenes?

No, The Promise does not include any post-credits scenes. The film ends definitively with a somber tone and a tribute to the victims of the genocide, underlining its historical gravity rather than suggesting a continuation.

Type of Movie

The Promise is a historical drama and romantic war epic. It’s deeply rooted in real events, blending personal stories with large-scale historical tragedy. Expect a heavy, emotional tone rather than light entertainment.

Cast

Oscar Isaac as Mikael Boghosian
Christian Bale as Chris Myers
Charlotte Le Bon as Ana Khesarian
Shohreh Aghdashloo as Marta Boghosian
Angela Sarafyan as Maral
James Cromwell as U.S. Ambassador Morgenthau
Marwan Kenzari as Emre

Film Music and Composer

The score was composed by Gabriel Yared, best known for his work on The English Patient. His music for The Promise is orchestral, elegiac, and emotionally resonant, aligning with the film’s tragic subject matter.

Filming Locations

The Promise was primarily shot in Portugal, Spain, and Malta, with additional scenes filmed in the Canary Islands. These locations stood in for various parts of the Ottoman Empire, particularly Constantinople and rural Anatolia. The mountainous region representing Musa Dagh was filmed in the Canary Islands, echoing the historical geography of the Armenian resistance.

Awards and Nominations

While it didn’t sweep mainstream awards, The Promise won:

Humanitarian Award at the Satellite Awards
Best Original Score by Gabriel Yared at the World Soundtrack Awards

Its most significant recognition was its social and historical impact, including widespread support from the Armenian community and genocide scholars. The filmmakers notably resisted political pressures and produced the film independently to ensure the genocide was truthfully depicted.

Behind the Scenes Insights

The film was financed entirely by the late Armenian-American billionaire Kirk Kerkorian to ensure creative freedom and historical accuracy.
Director Terry George, also known for Hotel Rwanda, brought deep personal commitment to telling underrepresented genocide stories.
The filmmakers faced trolling and negative review bombing online by Turkish nationalists months before the film was even released.
Some scenes were shot in difficult terrain to recreate the emotional toll and scale of Armenian marches.
Christian Bale insisted on doing most of his own stunts and went on record calling the events depicted “a genocide, not a debate.”

Inspirations and References

The film is inspired by real historical events, particularly the 1915 Armenian Genocide, in which over 1.5 million Armenians were systematically killed. While Mikael and Ana are fictional characters, their stories are composites drawn from survivors’ accounts and historical records.

The film also references the resistance at Musa Dagh, famously chronicled in Franz Werfel’s novel The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, which inspired part of the movie’s third act.

Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes

Some deleted scenes explore Mikael’s medical school experience in more depth and Chris’s journalism efforts, but no radically different alternate ending exists. The final cut was deliberately shaped to emphasize the genocide’s humanitarian and historical themes.

Book Adaptations and Differences

The Promise is not directly based on a book but draws narrative inspiration from historical texts and survivor memoirs. Its emotional core resembles The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, but the plot and characters are original creations intended to represent a collective experience.

Memorable Scenes and Quotes

Key Scenes

Mikael’s escape from the labor camp through a snow-covered valley.
Ana teaching orphaned children to dance amid war ruins.
The French warship rescue at Musa Dagh.
Chris photographing executions while evading Turkish soldiers.

Iconic Quotes

Mikael: “Our revenge will be to survive.”
Ana: “We must live. So they cannot silence us.”
Chris: “If I write this, the world will know. If I don’t, it never happened.”
Ambassador Morgenthau: “I am the eyes of the world, and the world is watching.”

Easter Eggs and Hidden Details

The characters Emre and Ana may symbolize internal resistance and international solidarity, respectively.
Subtle nods to real historical figures, like Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, who tried to stop the genocide.
The final scene’s use of a recorded journal is a narrative device inspired by real survivor diaries.
A subtle homage to Werfel’s Musa Dagh appears in a scene where children are reading a book in Armenian.

Trivia

The movie’s release coincided with the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
All profits from the film were pledged to human rights charities.
The film features over 600 background actors, many of whom were of Armenian descent.
Despite a limited release, it had a significant cultural and political impact in countries with large Armenian communities.

Why Watch?

Because it tells a story that history books have too often ignored. The Promise is not just a love story or a war drama—it’s a cinematic act of remembrance. If you’re interested in untold histories, compelling performances, or are simply looking for a film with emotional weight and moral urgency, this one delivers.

Director’s Other Movies

Hotel Rwanda (2004)
Reservation Road (2007)
Some Mother’s Son (1996)

The Promise (2016)

Detailed Summary