Earlier this week, we saw the first trailer for Collateral Beauty, an Oscar-or-bust-style, big-budget drama. Then, earlier today, the first trailer for The Promise created its own blip on the awards radar.
The film stars Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac, and takes place against the backdrop of what’s often referred to as “the Armenian Holocaust.” Though it’s perhaps lesser known than other ethnically-motivated mass killings, in excess of one million Armenians were murdered during the genocide.
Here’s a quick synopsis, courtesy of IMDB: “Set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, The Promise follows a love triangle between Michael, a brilliant medical student, the beautiful and sophisticated Ana, and Chris — a renowned American journalist based in Paris.”
Though it wasn’t filmed on location, the trailer offers a beautiful recreation of a Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and teases the sort of weighty period drama that makes the Academy swoon.
It also showcases the stratospheric talent of its dueling leading men. Isaac feels immediately convincing as the starry-eyed med student, and we all know by now that Christian Bale is a shapeshifter who can step effortlessly into the shoes of whomever he chooses.
When compared with the aforementioned Collateral Beauty, the drama driving this film seems more earnest, more effortless, and less emotionally manipulative. As he showed with Hotel Rwanda, director Terry George knows how to get this sort of film right, which gives us high hopes for this one.
The Promise also stars Charlotte le Bon (The Walk) and Angela Sarafyan (The Immigrant). Though the film has yet to set an official release date, it’s expected to arrive sometime in the final few months of 2016.
Be sure to stay tuned and we’ll keep you updated as news breaks.
