Is The Promise based on a true story? What to know about the new movie on Netflix

Directed by Terry George, The Promise is a 2016 historical drama film starring Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon, and Christian Bale. The film recently came onto Netflix, leaving viewers with many questions about the real-life story behind it.

Set in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, the film tells the story of a love triangle that develops between Mikael (Isaac), an Armenian medical student, Chris (Bale), a Paris-based American journalist, and Ana (Le Bon), an Armenian-born woman raised in France, immediately before the Armenian Genocide.

The Promise premiered on September 11, 2016 at the Toronto International Film Festival, and was subsequently released in the United States on April 21, 2017, which marked the 102nd anniversary of the week the Genocide began. The film was made to draw attention to the Armenian Genocide, which is still not recognized by numerous countries around the world.

The Promise is rated PG-13 for thematic material including war atrocities, violence, disturbing images, and for some sexuality.

The movie is now on Netflix, and if you want to know how accurate the film is to history, then you’ve come to the right place.

Is The Promise based on true events?

While the film’s main characters are fictional, the events of the Armenian Genocide are very real.

For those who don’t know, the Armenian Genocide was the mass murder of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman government. The tragic events took place between 1915 and 1923.

The starting date of the genocide is considered to be April 24, 1915. This was when the Ottoman authorities deported Armenians from Constantinople, ultimately leading to the majority being killed. This first major event in the genocide is sometimes referred to as Red Sunday.

After that, the mass murder of the male population took place, which was followed by the deportation and death marches of the women, children, the sick, and the elderly. They were not allowed food or water, and many were sexually abused and even murdered.

When you’re watching The Promise, keep in mind that the events depicted are still affecting the Armenian population today.

You can check out the trailer for The Promise below.