Armenian Genocide Review

     My perception and understanding of this film will differ a bit from others, I am sure, as I am Armenian and had family affected by the tragedies of 1915. Before seeing this film, I was well informed on the topic, as it has always been told to me as "our story." I have written several research papers on the genocide, analyzing from different perspectives, and The Armenian Genocide, while dry, is extraordinarily informative. It was not a particularly exciting film, which is unfortunate because the while the genocide is horrifying, the circumstances around it are interesting, but were not necessarily prevented as such. I believe that documentaries which aim to inform the world on such serious topics should be more accessible, but the film seemed to be focused on displaying all of the facts it had obtained without necessarily creating a compelling storyline. However, I did appreciate their use of gruesome photographs that could properly depict the horrors of the genocide.

      The interview section at the end of the film was particularly interesting. It sacrificed action for fact, and while it may not be interesting to someone looking for superficial information, it is a very in depth look at the less discussed aspects of the genocide. I appreciated that they addressed the issue of current Turkish repression of information. The man they interviewed discussed his struggles to have information disclosed and the Turkish government's continued efforts to hide the facts of 1915. This is a topic that is not often discussed, and it is important to understand how current governments participate in the continued traumatization of a people by denying their suffering. This is seen in many current conflicts, and is, in my opinion, a reflection of the institutional causes of cycles of violence and oppression in human rights.

   This film was very intellectual in its presentation of the material, and I hope in doing so, did not allow the viewer to relegate it to the past. This, however, was most likely avoided by their exploration of modern day research on the Armenian genocide. I found the film to be very interesting, if at times a bit long winded.

   The Armenian Genocide is central to the understanding of human rights as we know them today. Perpetrated before there was an understanding of universal human rights, this genocide could be considered the "blueprint" of genocides. In fact, Raphael Lemkin, a lawyer who spent much of his life devoted to the study of genocide, coined the term "genocide" when analyzing the events of 1915. An often quoted phrase from Hitler, whose widescale genocide termed the Holocaust became the catalyst for a global human rights movement, states something to the effect of "Who now remembers the Armenians?" in an effort to support his Final Solution. What this film shows is continuity and that human rights violations such as genocide due not happen in a vacuum. They are not simply flukes in the system, but are part of the fabric of the system itself, and denial and diplomatic concession only furthers their suffering and leads to the opportunity for others to suffer in the same way. The Armenian Genocide should be viewed as a cautionary tale, one which seeks to use its own tragedy to prevent the same in the future.