Click to read the article
Ararat (2002)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:74
Fresh:42
Rotten:32
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Though Ararat radiates intelligence, its impact is diminished by an overly intricate plot and cerebral style.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violence, sexuality/nudity and language
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Nov 15, 2002 Limited
Box Office: $1,378,159
Synopsis: ARARAT, Atom Egoyan's mysterious drama about the horrors of the largely unknown Armenian genocide in Turkey, unrolls through a film within the film (also titled ARARAT). Jumping back and forth in... ARARAT, Atom Egoyan's mysterious drama about the horrors of the largely unknown Armenian genocide in Turkey, unrolls through a film within the film (also titled ARARAT). Jumping back and forth in time, Egoyan weaves together the lives of several people. Ari (Arsinee Khanjian), an art historian, is an advisor on the film. Her son Raffi (David Alplay) is part of the film crew. When Raffi travels to Armenia to gather some additional footage, he is detained by a customs agent (Christopher Plummer) and remains in custody for most of the film. Meanwhile, Raffi's stepsister and girlfriend Celia (Marie-Josee Croze) is haunted by her father's suicide. These and other stories within ARARAT are ostensibly linked through the film within a film. Yet, it is each character's quest for truth which binds them thematically and drives the plot. The film is populated with thematic twins, as each character's individual struggle is mirrored in the plight of the other characters. Egoyan works from his own script relying heavily on references to Arshile Gorky's painting "The Artist and his Mother" and Clarence Ussher's historical document, AN AMERICAN PHYSICIAN IN TURKEY. [More]
Starring: David Alpay, Charles Aznavour, Eric Bogosian, Brent Carver
Starring: David Alpay, Charles Aznavour, Eric Bogosian, Brent Carver, Marie-Josee Croze, Bruce Greenwood, Arsinee Khanjian, Christopher Plummer
Director: Atom Egoyan
Director: Atom Egoyan
Screenwriter: Atom Egoyan
Producer: Robert Lantos, Atom Egoyan
Studio: Miramax Films
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Release:
Jul 22, 2003
Reviews for Ararat
Although not an easy film to follow, I found 'Ararat' worthy of close attention.
Even as a flawed and self-indulgent film, it’s thought-provoking, intelligent and well worth seeing.
Egoyan boldly inspires viewers to deal with issues of cultural memory and responsibility, especially in moments of confusion when family issues intersect with monumental historical facts.
Impassioned performances and direction make this a riveting recreation of a reprehensible period neglected by historians.
You have to pay attention to follow all the stories, but they're each interesting. The movie is well shot and very tragic, and one to ponder after the credits roll.
You can quibble with excess characters and storylines, but the cumulative effect is strong and emotionally accurate.
Atom Egoyan has conjured up a multilayered work that tackles any number of fascinating issues
There is a fabric of complex ideas here, and feelings that profoundly deepen them.
A film that has many strengths, not the least of which is its towering ambition.
[Atom Egoyan's] most personal [film] to date but it's also his most flawed.
The director's customary narrative elisions and evasions have an unsettling mirror function here.
Egoyan uses outrage and curiosity to craft an enigmatic and shifting act of memory, his impression of an event and its repercussions.
A complex, ambitious film...one can't help but admire the film's reach, even when the goal exceeds Egoyan's grasp.
A compelling and thought-provoking drama on the Armenian genocide after World War I and its toxic impact on the spirits and lives of some contemporary Canadians.
A pertinent powerfully intelligent account of the morality of making history.
The resulting project matters much and should be seen, but how much it'll be felt depends on your specific level of patience for a director who presumes audience comprehension to be at about a fourth-grade level.
Latest News for Ararat
September 07, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: Where the Truth Lies
From Atom Egoyan, director of "Exotica," "The Sweet Hereafter," and "Ararat," comes Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth, and Alison Lohman in the already... More...
August 22, 2005:
Egoyan's "Truth" May Lie with an NC-17
ThinkFilm, distributor of the new Atom Egoyan film "Where the Truth Lies," plans to appeal what they believe will be an NC-17 rating from the MPAA, says The Hollywood... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 67% 67% | Public Enemies |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 95% 95% | The Cove |
| 85% 85% | World's Greatest Dad |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.

TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.

Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.

AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



