1489 (2023) First Look Fest 2024

Days after Shoghakat Vardanyan's brother goes missing during the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan  she begins to film her family. The result is a film that documents the loss of a loved one into the void and the toll it takes on those left behind.

Crushing documentary about loss and grief made worse by not having any answers, 1489 moves us in ways we rarely go. Yes, we've all lost someone but how many of us have lost someone without a trace? Normally if someone gets lost you can call the police but in time of war what can you do?

Told in long takes we go deep into the sadness of Vardanyan and her family. We are not able to look away because of how the film is shot- straight on and unblinking. Because this was only shot by Vardanyan herself there is no cutaways, no pick up shots, just what we see.

I was rocked by the film and my plans to watch another in quick succession was cast aside as I went outside and took a walk.

This is one of the best films at First Look so go see it. (And bring tissues)

Wrestling with There Was, There Was Not (2024) True/False Film Fest

I have spent the better part of the last week trying to find words to discuss THERE WAS,THERE WAS NOT.  The film is a portrait of a once upon a time country called Atsakh that lay between Armenia and Azerbaijan that was wanted by both countries. They went to war  to gain the disputed land and wiped Atsakh off the map, not that anyone but the citizens, cared.

The film is a portrait of five women in Atsakh whose lives are changed. a politician, an Olympic-hopeful athlete, a domestic violence activist, a painter and a woman who disarms land mines for a living. Over the course of the film we watch as the women discuss their lives and watch as their country goes from existing to not

There is so much here that needs to be unpacked and discussed. This is a film that has so many levels operating at the same time that it's hard to know where to begin. Certainly the fact that film doesn't fully hit you until it's done and you are thinking about it after the end credits roll. I know that the film seems like it's just the story of the women, but then things change and as the conflict comes it changes, and then you get to the end and it's changed again as we learn Ataskh has ceased to exist. This is a present day version of what happened in and around the Second World War.

There is an enormity of emotion and a hurricane of thoughts that I am having trouble expressing. 

The problem with writing on the film has been that each time attack the piece I have found that I went too much on one subject and left something out.  I would restart  and then go off in another direction, only to find the need to start over and do it again.

I thought that what I simply needed to do was rewatch the film... but that sent me going off in other directions.

I can not imagine what would have happened if I saw this at a festival and had to move on to something right after this.

If you haven't noticed, I have a high opinion of the film. It has kicked me to the curb six ways to Sunday, forcing me to think about a lot of things that don't have easy answers.  Because I am still wrestling with the film I am going to suggest that you buy a ticket and take a ride. Just know that the film is considerably more than the simple log line they are using.

And do me a favor, after you see the film please come back and tell me what you think, both of the film and the larger issues it is raising.

AURORA’S SUNRISE (2022)

Portrait  of Aurora Mardiganian, who escaped from the Armenian genocide, fled to America and ended up starring in a silent film that told her story and those of the Armenians being killed by the Turks.

Using the 18 minutes of the previously lost film AUCTION OF SOULS that starred Mardiganian, as well as video of her before her death, the animated AURORA’S SUNRISE tells the story of what happened to bring her to America and make the film. Not shying away from what happened the film makes clear how the genocide occurred and how the now lost film helped to save thousands of other refugees.

I like the film but I don’t particularly love it. Don’t get me wrong it’s a hell of a story, and one that is so strong that it over comes any short comings of the film (I adore the Charlie Chaplin story) the problem is that the style of the animation didn’t work for me.  It’s purely a natter of personal taste. I love the images it creates, but there is something about the motion that kept me from truly giving myself over to it.

My quibble about the style of animation aside, I still recommend the film. The story it tells is an important and compelling one. It’s a film that once more reminds the world  that genocide is nothing new and was going on longer than most people think.

I Am Not Alone (2019) Opens Friday

I AM NOT ALONE is a thrilling film. The story of how Armenian activist/political prisoner /politician/ journalist Nikol Pashinyan toppled the status quo in Armenia is a tale for the ages. It is beautifully told (unexpectedly) by all the parties involved.

After two terms as president strong man Serzh Sargsyan moved to make the position of Prime Minister the more powerful position with an eye toward moving into that position when his second and final turn as President was done. He had been put into power by brutally squashing protests that happened after his rigged his election. Pashinyan decides that something had to be done he decides to protest by walking to the capital and holding a rally in Liberty Square. The idea is that his walk would motivate the masses…and what happened was entirely unexpected in the best possible way.

Recounting the fourteen days of the walk across Armenia and then the subsequent events in the capital I AM NOT ALONE shows us the power of what one good man working as an agent for the good of his people can do. A nail biting story that will keep you on the edge of your seat as events twist and turn in ways that are completely unexpected. While I knew how it came out, I never expected any of the tits and turns and as result was absolutely delighted.

The truly amazing thing about this film, and which lifts it up to the realm of truly great, is the fact that the filmmakers don’t just interview Nikol Pashinyan, but also former strong man Serzh Sargsyan, as well as the chief of police who sought to end the protests plus many others on all sides. This is a well balanced film where everyone gets to tell their story and we are so much better for it. The result is a stunning film that will make you shout and perhaps even shed a tear.

One of the best films you will see all year.

Should the Wind Drop (2020) Rendez-Vous With French Cinema 2021

SHOULD THE WIND DROP is set in Nagorno Karabakh a tiny land locked country in Central Asia. Its over seen by Armenia but Azerbaijan is not happy about its existence and one report I read said it is actively trying to stop  this film from being released because it will let people know they country exists. The area has been scarred by war, occupation and genocide for the better par for the last century, and it’s only been within the last few decades that the country could has something like a peaceful existence. 

The film is set in the country’s international airport, which has never been used because the placement of it makes the in coming flights a potential target by some other country’s military. As the film opens Alain, a French engineer arrives in order to see if the airport can actually open. Along the way he falls in with the people who work at the airport and live in the area around it, including a young boy who gets clean water from the taps at the airport which he then sells. 

How you react to the film is going to depend on how you react to the glacial pacing. I completely understand that director Nora Martirosyan wants to put us on Nagorno Karabakh time but at the same time the film is very close to being inert. The film opens with an almost ten minute sequence as Alain rides in a cab to the airport. While I understand that it lets you know that the airport is in the middle of nowhere I’m not sure we need a sequence as long as that to set things up.  The rest of the film is part slice of life, part :can the airport open?" drama. While the stories are intriguing unfortunately the pacing keeps them from being fully compelling.

What bothers me is that at the heart of the film is an interesting story here. The film is very close to being a documentary about the airport and the troubled land it sits in. Its a great story that I would love to see told in a straight forward manner. While the film deals with the history and conflicts, it was a location of the Armenian genocide,  and it was ripped apart when the Soviet Union imploded, the film doesn't seem to keep it as front and center as it probably should. While the history shapes what is happening the film is lax in making sure that we are always feeling the weight of the past. Perhaps if there were more mentions of the past this might have felt more meaty and meaningful than the slow moving tale of people in the landscape. 

A miss

I AM NOT ALONE (2019) DOC NYC 2019

I AM NOT ALONE is a thrilling film. The story of how Armenian activist/political prisoner /politician/ journalist Nikol Pashinyan toppled the status quo in Armenia is a tale for the ages. It is beautifully told (unexpectedly) by all the parties involved.

After two terms as president strong man Serzh Sargsyan moved to make the position of Prime Minister the more powerful position with an eye toward moving into that position when his second and final turn as President was done. He had been put into power by brutally squashing protests that happened after his rigged his election. Pashinyan decides that something had to be done he decides to protest by walking to the capital and holding a rally in Liberty Square. The idea is that his walk would motivate the masses…and what happened was entirely unexpected in the best possible way.

Recounting the fourteen days of the walk across Armenia and then the subsequent events in the capital I AM NOT ALONE shows us the power of what one good man working as an agent for the good of his people can do. A nail biting story that will keep you on the edge of your seat as events twist and turn in ways that are completely unexpected. While I knew how it came out, I never expected any of the tits and turns and as result was absolutely delighted.

The truly amazing thing about this film, and which lifts it up to the realm of truly great, is the fact that the filmmakers don’t just interview Nikol Pashinyan, but also former strong man Serzh Sargsyan, as well as the chief of police who sought to end the protests plus many others on all sides. This is a well balanced film where everyone gets to tell their story and we are so much better for it. The result is a stunning film that will make you shout and perhaps even shed a tear.

One of the best films at DOC NYC. A must see

I AM NOT ALONE plays November 10. For more information and tickets go here