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''Aram'' is a 2002 French
action drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-gen ...
written and directed by
Robert Kechichian Robert Kechichian (born 1946) is a French-Armenian film director, actor and screenwriter known for his work on Aram, Taxi 2 and other films. Filmography Assistant director: *''Joyeuses Pâques'' (Georges Lautner) *'' Maladie d'amour'' and '' Le ...
. The film is set primarily in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
between 1993 and 2001 around Aram, a young
French-Armenian Armenians in France ( hy, ֆրանսահայեր, translit=Fransahayer; french: Arméniens de France) are France, French citizens of Armenians, Armenian ancestry. The French Armenian community is, by far, the largest in the European Union and the A ...
militant attempting to supply arms to
Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked country, landlocked region in the Transcaucasia, South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik, and covering the southeastern range o ...
and dealing with the aftermath of assassinating a Turkish general. ''Aram'' was released in 2002 in theatres in France, and made its American debut in 2004 at the Armenian Film Festival in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
.


Plot

Aram Sarkissian (
Simon Abkarian Simon Abkarian (Armenian: Սիմոն Աբկարյան, born March 5, 1962) is a French-Armenian actor. Life and career Born in Gonesse, Val d'Oise, of Armenian descent, Abkarian spent his childhood in Lebanon. He moved to Los Angeles, wher ...
) is a young
French-Armenian Armenians in France ( hy, ֆրանսահայեր, translit=Fransahayer; french: Arméniens de France) are France, French citizens of Armenians, Armenian ancestry. The French Armenian community is, by far, the largest in the European Union and the A ...
member of AGJSA, an Armenian
militant The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin " ...
organization, who leaves his family in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
to fight in the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...
. In October 1993, Aram returns to France to live a "normal life" again, but finds his younger brother Levon (
Mathieu Demy Mathieu Demy (born 15 October 1972) is a French actor, film director and producer. He is the son of French film directors Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy. Career Demy started as a young actor in Agnès Varda's films ''L'une chante, l'autre pas ...
) preparing the assassination of Azbalan Djelik, a
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
of the
Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces ( tr, Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), or Turkish Army (Turkish: ), is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the ...
visiting France. Aram opposes the assassination, claiming the Armenian struggle lies in Nagorno-Karabakh, however, Levon considers Aram to be a coward, who then reluctantly agrees. One evening, General Djelik is killed when his car is ambushed by 3 masked gunmen, who shoot and kill three of the four passengers. The survivor, Djelik's aide-de-camp Colonel Talaat Sonlez (
Serge Avédikian Serge Avédikian ( hy, Սերժ Ավետիքյան; born 1 December 1955), sometimes credited as Serje Avétikian, is an Armenian- French film and theatre actor, director, writer and producer, winner of Cannes Festival prize. Early life Avédik ...
), shoots Levon after he pretended to be dead. Levon is immobilized and enters a
coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...
, and Sonlez is shot by the Armenians before they flee. AGJSA claims responsibility for the attack, justifying it as General Djelik was a high-ranking member of the Black Wolves, a Turkish
ultranationalist Ultranationalism or extreme nationalism is an extreme form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains detrimental hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its sp ...
organization. Talaat survives again, and searches for the assassins by asking Monsieur Paul (Gilles Arbona), a French
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...
policeman monitoring the activities of AGJSA, who does not reveal their identities. By January, 2001, Levon is paralyzed and reliant on a wheelchair. Their father, Mihran Sarkissian (Alan Motte), is bitter and blames Levon's disabilities on Aram, who has not been seen by the family since the attack. Additionally, their younger sister Meline (Ljubna Azabal) becomes
engaged An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
to Stephan, a French man, which their father approves reluctantly and is frowned upon by his friends. Meanwhile, in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, the leader of the AGJSA, Vartan, negotiates an arms deal with
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...
militants to buy a large shipment
sniper rifle A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...
s to be used by Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Kurds are represented by Midzametin, the head of the
PKK The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of sout ...
in Europe, and his right-hand man Djalal, who is vocally against the deal. The Kurds change their deal, offering cheaper guns in exchange for support in assassinating Turkish diplomats if the Turkish Army launches a new offensive against the PKK, which Vartan accepts. Aram arrives back in France through
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
after returning from hiding in
Karabakh Karabakh ( az, Qarabağ ; hy, Ղարաբաղ, Ġarabaġ ) is a geographic region in present-day southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura (Caspia ...
, where he is photographed by Virgil, an agent of Paul. Aram reveals his reservations over Vartan's promises to the Kurds supporting assassinations of Turkish diplomats, believing they are ineffective and undesirable for the Armenian cause. En route to the weapons exchange Talaat and Djalal, who is working for the Turks, ambush the Kurds, and later shoot at the Armenians waiting the meeting point on a beach at night. Aram is wounded but kills Djalal without realizing his identity before escaping. Unaware of Djalal's betrayal, Aram first suspects Kervedjian, a diplomat of the Nagorono-Karabakh Republic in Paris, who he abducts and
interrogate Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, intelligence agencies, organized crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations with the goal of eliciting useful infor ...
s. Paul, knowing of Talaat's involvement, visits him at a
Turkish bath A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited ...
and reminds him he was told in 1993 not to come back to France. Talaat states he is an
attaché In diplomacy, an attaché is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified accor ...
of the
Turkish government The Government of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Hükûmeti) is the national government of Turkey. It is governed as a unitary state under a presidential representative democracy and a constitutional republic within a pluriform multi-party ...
as part of an official
diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
, but Paul reveals his knowledge that Talaat is a member of the Black Wolves and is involved in the
Turkish Mafia Turkish mafia ( tr, Türk mafyası) is the general term for criminal organizations based in Turkey and/or composed of (former) Turkish citizens. Crime groups with origins in Turkey are active throughout Western Europe (where a strong Turkish immi ...
. Aram seeks the help of his friend, Fodil Boushaour, who provides him with
handguns A handgun is a short-gun barrel, barrelled gun, typically a firearm, that is designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun (i.e. rifle, shotgun or machine gun, etc.), which needs to be held by both hands and also ...
, a car, a fake
driver's license A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...
, and backup from his friends, Saad and Mamad. In Paris, Mihran and Meline argue over Aram, with Mihran expressing his bitterness towards him, while Meline shows her sympathy. Kervedjian informs Aram of Djalal's betrayal and cooperation with the Turkish government, and that there is a new deal with the Kurds to deliver weapons. Aram is assigned to task of killing the Turks involved in the betrayal and to escort the new weapons to Karabakh. Aram tracks down Talaat and kills several of his men and his girlfriend, but fails to kill him and his aide Mehmet - furious, Talaat instructs Mehmet to find Aram and kill him. Meline invites Aram to her wedding in an attempt to reconcile with their father, while Kervedjian provides Aram details to collect the Kurdish weapons at the port in
Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
. Talaat meets with Paul and Virgil, offering information terrorist networks in exchange for the identity of the person trying to kill him. Paul declines the offer, but later Mehmet and his gang abduct Virgil. Aram visits his family in Paris where his father asks him to leave, striking him with his
cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking *Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are b ...
, and Aram leaves without explaining his side of the story. Upon leaving, Aram is chased by Paul and another agent who have been tracking him to positively identify him, as Aram was officially killed in action in Karabakh, but he manages to escape. At the counter-terrorism office, Paul receives a package from Talaat containing an amputated finger of Virgil, and he calls the Turkish embassy revealing the identities of Aram and his associates. Paul speaks privately with Fodil, who claims that the last he heard from Aram was 7 years ago, and that he is buried in
Shahumian Shahumyan Province ( hy, Շահումյան, Shahumyan, also spelled ''Shaumyan'' and ''Shahumian'') is a claimed province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient ...
in Karabakh. Despite this, Paul informs Fodil that Talaat now knows about Aram's identity and is hunting him. Fodil warns Aram, who is riding with Saad and Mamad on the way to the party after Meline and Stephan's marriage. Talaat and Mehmet appear at the party, and the two ambush Mihran and Levon in the restroom, but Aram shoots Talaat and Mehmet. Aram rushes to Dunkirk to leave France to avoid murder charges, but cars of the secret police with Paul and Mihran pull up. Aram and his father say goodbye without words, quietly redeeming his son. Instead of arresting Aram, Paul asks him to leave and to never return to France.


Cast

*
Simon Abkarian Simon Abkarian (Armenian: Սիմոն Աբկարյան, born March 5, 1962) is a French-Armenian actor. Life and career Born in Gonesse, Val d'Oise, of Armenian descent, Abkarian spent his childhood in Lebanon. He moved to Los Angeles, wher ...
- Aram Sarkissian * Lubna Azabal - Méliné Sarkissian *
Serge Avédikian Serge Avédikian ( hy, Սերժ Ավետիքյան; born 1 December 1955), sometimes credited as Serje Avétikian, is an Armenian- French film and theatre actor, director, writer and producer, winner of Cannes Festival prize. Early life Avédik ...
- Talaat Sonlez * Alain Mottet - Miran Sarkissian *
Mathieu Demy Mathieu Demy (born 15 October 1972) is a French actor, film director and producer. He is the son of French film directors Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy. Career Demy started as a young actor in Agnès Varda's films ''L'une chante, l'autre pas ...
- Lévon Sarkissian * - Monsieur Paul *
Isabelle Sadoyan Isabelle Sadoyan (12 May 1928 – 10 July 2017) was a French-Armenian actress. She was the wife of actor Jean Bouise. Her filmography includes films by Jeanne Moreau, Claude Chabrol, Claude Lelouch, Luc Besson, Jean-Luc Godard, Henri Verneuil, ...
- Aunt Anouche * - Mehmet * - Vartan Madarian * - Lawyer Kavedjian * - Virgil *
Samir Guesmi Samir Guesmi (born 7 October 1967) is a French actor. He has appeared in more than 90 films and television shows since 1988. Filmography Actor Filmmaker Theatre References External links * 1967 births Living people French male f ...
- Saad *
Albert Delpy Albert Delpy (born 13 September 1941) is a Vietnamese-born French actor and writer. He has appeared in more than one hundred films since 1970. Personal life He is the father of Julie Delpy Julie Delpy (; born 21 December 1969) is a French-Am ...
- Nasar


Background

''Aram'' is loosely based on
Armenian nationalist Armenian nationalism in the modern period has its roots in the romantic nationalism of Mikayel Chamchian (1738–1823) and generally defined as the creation of a United Armenia, free, independent and united Armenia formulated as the Armenian Cause ...
militant activity committed by youth from the
Armenian diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...
in mostly
Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
and
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
in the 1970s to the 1990s. The AGJSA is based on Armenian radical militant groups, the most notable being the
Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide (JCAG) ( hy, Հայկական Ցեղասպանութեան Արդարութեան Մարտիկներ, ՀՑԱՄ) was an Armenian militant organization active from 1975 to 1987. JCAG conducted an interna ...
, that attacked representatives of the Republic of Turkey with the primary goal of official Turkish recognition of the
Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...
. The Black Wolves, the Turkish
neo-fascist Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sent ...
organization of which General Djelik and Talaat Sonlez are members, is a reference to the
Grey Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
, a Turkish
ultranationalist Ultranationalism or extreme nationalism is an extreme form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains detrimental hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its sp ...
organization with ties to the Turkish mafia,
counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...
movements within Turkey, and
extrajudicial Extrajudicial punishment is a punishment for an alleged crime or offense which is carried out without legal process or supervision by a court or tribunal through a legal proceeding. Politically motivated Extrajudicial punishment is often a fe ...
repression of the
ASALA Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) was a militant organization active between 1975 and the 1990s whose stated goal was "to compel the Turkish Government to acknowledge publicly its responsibility for the Armenian genocide ...
and the PKK. Talaat, the name of the lead Turkish character, is most likely a reference to Talaat Pasha, a leader in the Young Turk government and Minister of the Interior of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, often considered to be the key architect of the Armenian Genocide.


DVD release

The American debut of ''Aram'' featured
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
subtitles, there is no
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
being sold which contains English subtitles.


External links

* *
Aram
' at Real Movie News *

' at Z Review

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aram (Film) 2002 films 2002 action drama films 2000s French-language films Armenian-language films Armenian independent films French independent films Films set in France Films set in Paris Films set in Calais Films about assassinations Films set in Germany Films set in 1993 Films set in 2001 French action drama films 2002 independent films 2002 multilingual films Armenian multilingual films French multilingual films 2000s French films