The promise

I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia. See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia. —William Saroyan

The movie «The promise» talks about a young Albanian man that marries a girl to have enough money to go and study medicine in Turkey. He is betrothed to her, until he comes back in three years. In Turkey he meets another medicine student, wealthy and the son of a Turkish general, Emre. Both students share a friendship that will last until the end. The political situation of Turkey is the fall of the Ottoman Empire and it was threatened by the number of foreigners that were living there. Therefore, in alliance with the Germans, the goverment decided to expell them.

Chris: Without reporters, the Armenian people would disappear and no one would know.

After this tragedy we see a love story developing between our doctor and a teacher from France. The story unfolds before the begining of WWI within the political crisis of the Ottoman Empire, the love developed between Mikael and Anna is inevitable, but then it stops, why? This is real life, not Hollywood even if we tend for happy endings…

Mikael Boghosian: [narrating] Our village sat high in the mountains of Southern Turkey. It was half Turk, half Armenian. I was the local apothecary. For 200 years the Boghosians made medicines using formulas handed down from our ancestors. All right. We treated everyone alike… Muslim and Christian, rich and poor. Every morning and night. I was proud of our craft. But making potions from herbs and minerals was not enough. My greatest desire was to study medicine at the imperial school in Constantinople. But I could never afford the fees. So, I decided to become engaged to Maral and use the dowry to pay my way.

When faced with another love, we must not forget the bethroted bride in Albania: Maral. A promise was made and it cannot be forgotten, a man’s word is everything (it may not seem important now, but it is everything). And his honor is his word. To forget what he promised is to betray himself. Anna and Mikael are separated by the government and sent away.

Chris: If I sign this, it destroys everything…everything I’ve ever written… my future.
Emre: What future?! No one knows you’re here. No one will know you died!
Chris: You’ll know.

Mikael is taken away to work in building railroads. The promise of his friend Omre fails to keep his safe. He works there for years until he escapes and finds his way back home: Albania. In there he finds out that the Turkish want to wipe the Albanians and begin a killing spree against them. Luckily his parent are alive and his bride. He marries Maral and lives hidden from the Turkish army. A lie was told but the promise is maintained until he sees Anna again and has to face the truth: he was already married when he met her.

Mikael: I made a promise. I can’t go back on that, Uncle.

Chris a journalist and Anna’s partner at the moment became good friends with Mikael and helps him in what he can, but later finds out that Anna cheated on him. Instead of seeking revenge he realizes that he cannot help Anna by keeping Mikael and her apart. He promises to take care of his friends and lives up to that till his death.

Mikael Boghosian: [speaking to gathered wedding party] My darling Yeva told me that her greatest wish was that her parents and our dear Ana were here. I told her I know that they *are*. For sure, they are here. And all of your parents and all those families lost in an attempt to wipe our nation from the face of the earth. But we’re still here. We’re still here.

The Albanian people survived a terrorist attack, a genocide. A history that isn’t known by people. The movie tells us what happened and the importance of keeping our word no matter what is taken from us, we still have our word. Nowadays it may seem ridiculous, but after all, we are the only ones to care and maintain what we say if we really mean it.

Mikael Boghosian: [narrating] There was nothing that could be said. Both of us had lost the woman we loved. The French took us to a refugee camp in Egypt. Chris arranged for US visas for me, Yeva, and the orphans. We lost Chris in 1938. He died while reporting on the Spanish Civil War. I adopted Yeva, finished my medical studies and set up a practice in Watertown, Massachusetts. After the Japanese attacked Pearl harbor, Yeva joined the women’s army corps and fell in love with a young marine lieutenant. And on her wedding day, the orphans joined us in celebration.