The unplanned screening of Atom Egoyen’s “Ararat” was certainly not unappreciated by the film enthusiasts that attended the Multicultural Film Festival Wednesday night.
A complex piece, Egoyen critiques the Turkish refusal to acknowledge the Armenian holocaust of 1914 as being in the realm of genocide. To this day the Turkish government has been in a perpetual state of denial in regards to the slaughtering of 1.5 million Armenians by Turkish forces. “Ararat” combines the inseparable lives of modern day Armenians living in Canada with the Armenians of Van who fought for their lives in 1914.
This surprise screening was a perfect addition to this year’s festival theme of art experienced through film. The modern day blends with the past when Ani (Khanjian), because of her devotion to the artwork of Armenian painter Arshille Gorky, is chosen to be a historical consult to a film depicting Gorky’s life during the Armenian holocaust. The film within the film is also titled “Ararat.”
A bit of trivia: Ararat is the name of a mountain range in Armenia. It is also the supposed mountain atop which Noah’s Ark landed after the floods.
The parallels drawn between the modern and the past are “labyrinthine” in their interconnectedness. Ana’s refusal to accept her partial role in the suicide of her former husband is directly comparable to the Turkish refusal to acknowledge their dominant role in the slaughter of the Armenians.
Raffi’s reluctance to leave his mother’s side is comparable to the spirit of Gorky as he left his mother in Van to try to find outside help for the Armenians. These subtle but none-the-less haunting parallels can be credited to Egoyen’s insistence to create universal understanding between the history of individuals and the history of the masses.
The attempt to assemble their ancestors’ tumultuous past unburies many difficult memories from both the current and historical past. On his return from Turkey, Ani’s son, Raffi (David Alpay), is caught with suspicious-looking film canisters at Canadian customs. His account of his journey given during interrogation is spiritually moving and even evokes a major change in the tough security guard. The modern day plot unfolds as the guard forces Raffi to account for the canisters by reiterating the events that led up to his possession of them.
The historical plot unravels through a series of flashbacks that seem to be flashbacks of the actual historical events, but then turn out to be the filmed version of the events. These historical events are taken from the memoirs of American missionary Clarence Usher.
Needless to say, this is not a “sit back in your chair and relax” kind of film. This film is intelligent, challenging and takes the idea of interwoven plotlines to an ingenious level.
“Ararat” was the recipient of several of Canada’s notorious Genie film awards, including best picture, best costumes, best musical score, best lead actress (Khanjian) and best supporting actor (Elias Koteas).
Next week there will be a screening of Roman Polanski’s Oscar winning film, “The Pianist.” This event will take place Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in SOM 137.
