The Promise is a 2016 American epic historical war drama film directed by Terry George, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Robin Swicord.

Set in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, the film stars Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon and Christian Bale.

In order to help pay the expenses for medical school, he promises to marry Maral, the daughter of an affluent neighbor, receiving 400 gold coins as a dowry.

Through his wealthy uncle, he also meets Ana Khesarian, an Armenian woman raised in Paris, who is involved with an American reporter for the Associated Press, Chris Myers.

There he learns that Ana and Christopher are at a nearby Red Cross facility, so he goes to seek their help for his family to escape the imminent Turkish threat.

Chris is captured by Ottoman soldiers and sent back to Constantinople, charged with being a spy for the Allied Powers and, while held at Selimiye Barracks, slated for execution by the authorities.

Escaping pursuit, Mikael, Ana, and the orphans join a large group of refugees determined to fight off the Ottoman Army on Mount Musa Dagh.

But as the lifeboats return to the ship, a Turkish artillery barrage throws Ana and Yeva, the young daughter of Mikael's uncle, overboard.

In a voice over, Mikael recounts that he adopted Yeva and together they settled in Watertown, Massachusetts while Chris was killed reporting the Spanish Civil War in 1938.

During Yeva's wedding reception in 1942, with the now grown Armenian orphans in attendance, Mikael presides over a toast, wishing good fortune to their families and future generations to come.

Other actors in the film include Andrew Tarbet as Pastor Merrill, Aaron Neil as Talaat Pasha, Ozman Sirgood as Hasan Mazhar, Aharon Ipalé as Dr. Nazim, Lucía Zorrilla as Tamar, Roman Mitichyan as Van, Armin Amiri as Ali, Shnorhk Sargsyan as Komitas, Anthony Rotsa as Ahmet, Michael Stahl-David as Brad, Marco Khan as a Turkish nightwatchman, Simón Andreu as an Armenian peasant, and Vic Tablian as an Armenian prisoner.

George said that he deliberately used a 1970s production style and that he intended to reach the average common movie-goer, using the analogy of "is 'Hotel Rwanda' going to play in Peoria?

[11] George stated that he took two months of research in comparing photographs of Ottoman-era Turkey and prospective filming locations to make the proper selections.

[21] Esrailian stated that there were difficulties finding a U.S. distributor due to Turkey historically taking action against companies making films about the Armenian genocide.

Deadline Hollywood attributed the low opening to the lack of critical support and the film being released in the spring to coincide with the anniversary of the Armenian genocide, instead of in the fall during award season.

[25] Open Road's president of marketing Jonathan Helfgot said the film's goal was not purely money related, saying: "[While] we certainly hoped for a better box office result ...

[22] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter characterized the film as a "box-office disaster" that "sank like a stone ... attracting critical brickbats and going virtually unseen.

The site's critical consensus reads, "The Promise wastes an outstanding cast and powerful real-life story on a love triangle that frustratingly fails to engage.

[34] Numerous celebrities reacted positively to the movie, including Armenian-American Kim Kardashian,[11] as well as Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

[36] Cara Buckley of The New York Times wrote that, due to similarities of some plot points, The Ottoman Lieutenant had "uncanny parallels" to The Promise.

Zakian stated that, since the ending does not show that Mikael had found a new lover, this suggests that he focused instead on raising Yeva, and therefore held true to the Armenian ideal of sacrificing one's own desires in favor of the well-being of children, the next generation.

[37] Furthermore, Zakian wrote that Ana's actions in saving children reflects an idea in Matthew 18:6: "It would be better to have a great millstone fastened round the neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea" than to cause harm to a child.

[38][39][40][41] Grassroots attempts to fight against false ratings have gone viral, including a video by Harvard student Michael He that has received 300,000 views.

In addition, he received a khachkar, made by Hrach Gukasyan and commissioned by the Arpa International Film Festival and Awards Gala, with Armenian-style patterns in the shape of a Celtic cross, the latter in honor of his Irish heritage.