While we’ve all known a bit about the general handful of movies that are in the early fall festival/awards season conversation, one picture that has remained relatively quiet thus far is “The Promise.” But that all changed today when the new film from “Hotel Rwanda” director Terry George announced its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and some first look images have arrived.
Starring a pretty terrific duo in the lead roles, Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac, the drama takes place against the backdrop of the Armenian genocide. Here’s the official synopsis:
Michael, a humble Armenian apothecary, leaves his village to study medicine in cosmopolitan Constantinople. Chris, an American photojournalist who has come to the country to partly cover the geopolitics, is in a relationship with the talented Ana, a Paris-educated, Armenian artist. When Michael meets Ana, their shared heritage sparks an attraction that explodes into a romantic rivalry between the two men. After the Turks join the war on the German side, the Ottoman Empire turns violently against its own ethnic minorities. Despite their conflicts, everyone must find a way to survive — even as monumental events envelope their lives.
There’s no U.S. distribution for “The Promise,” but if the reception at TIFF goes well, that will likely change very, very fast.