One of the biggest question marks on the Oscar race this year is Terry George’s The Promise. A historical romance following a love triangle during the Armenian Genocide (because those two go together), critics are excited to see how the film is handled. George’s Hotel Rwanda was a powerful film filled with great performances, and he’s been a great writer for many years. Coupled with a cast including Academy Award-winner Christian Bale, the best part of The Walk Charlotte Le Bon, and everyone’s favorite actor Oscar Isaac, people are hoping that the film provides an emotional punch, a modern-day Casablanca of sorts. We won’t be hearing anything about the quality until Sunday night, and won’t know anything about its release date for longer still, but we at least have a trailer to judge it on.
The film takes place in the final days of the Ottoman Empire, and focuses on an Armenian medical student (Isaac), an American journalist (Bale), and a French-Armenian woman (Le Bon). As the Empire collapses and the threat of genocide becomes very real, their romantic ties, humanity, and very lives are threatened.
It’s a very powerful trailer, and it definitely makes Isaac look like he could (finally) be an Oscar contender. Although, surprisingly, he seems to be more of a lead than Bale, so the expected Supporting push might be wrong. Of course, if Rooney Mara, the star of Carol, could be pushed as Supporting, I don’t see why Isaac can’t do the same thing. We’ll know more after Sunday, and hopefully we see this one in theaters soon. You can watch the trailer below.
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