There's no doubting that this is a highly ambitious and personal project for Egoyan, but it's also one that, next to his best work, feels clumsy and convoluted.
Comment
03/19/03
Ararat (2002)
57
%
Tomatometer
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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.
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Dramas
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... [More]
Starring: David Alpay, Charles Aznavour, Eric Bogosian, Brent Carver
Director: Atom Egoyan
Reviews for Ararat
Top CriticThe movie's flaws ring of underconfidence, as if Egoyan intellectualised its parts until he ended up draining them of power.
07/06/03
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09/27/03
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06/24/06
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10/24/02
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04/20/03
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05/04/03
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04/21/03
Top CriticIt's the type of stunt the Academy loves: a powerful political message stuffed into an otherwise mediocre film.
12/02/02
Hardly makes the kind of points Egoyan wanted to make, nor does it exist as the kind of monument he wanted to build, to victims whose voices have never gained the ears of the world.
11/15/02
... ambition is in short supply in the cinema, and Egoyan tackles his themes and explores his characters' crises with seriousness and compassion.
11/27/02
The work of an artist tormented by his heritage, using his storytelling ability to honor the many faceless victims.
02/28/03
[Egoyan is] so careful telling the story of the genocide that much of the film feels cold and didactic, like watching a slide show in a lecture hall.
09/07/03
Did the film inform and educate me? Yes. Did it move me to care about what happened in 1915 Armenia? No. And that is where Ararat went astray.
11/12/02
The impact of the Armenian genocide is diluted by too much stage business in the modern day.
11/15/02
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.
11/15/02
Too timid to bring a sense of closure to an ugly chapter of the twentieth century.
09/06/02
Has its moments -- and almost as many subplots.
11/15/02
Like all of Egoyan's work, Ararat is fiercely intelligent and uncommonly ambitious.
06/29/02
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.
11/27/02
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...
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