Berlin, 1921. Talaat Pacha, the man responsible for the Armenian genocide, is executed in the street by Soghomon Thelirian, who gets arrested. During the trial he gives testimony of the first genocide of the 20th century, during which his whole family was killed, together with hundreds of thousands of others. The jury finds him not guilty. Sixty years later in Marseille. Disgusted by the fact that the genocide of his people is still not recognized by the Turkish authorities and that Armenians still are oppressed, Aram decides to join the Armenian Liberation Army. In Paris, his first attack accidentally injures Gilles Tessier, who’s life is ruined in consequence. While Aram continues his fight in Beirut, haunted by his acts, his mother makes contact with Gilles.

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In the wake of his embarrassing Ariane’s Thread, Robert Guédiguian returns to familiar territory: the Armenian genocide, the leitmotif of his personal and professional history, as evidenced by 2006’s Armenia. Surrounded by his favorite actors (Ariane Ascaride, Simon Abkarian, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet*), he embarks on one of his most ambitious movies, which spans different countries and periods, all tied together with expert skill. The story of the madman is also that of the film, an epic tale of a people pushed towards destructive madness. Guédiguian constructs small stories around the main one with great sincerity and compassion, certainly making this one of his most successful movies.