Ararat

A couple of days ago I posted a piece about Hotel Rwanda, which deals with the Tutsi genocide of 1994. Quite by accident, Atom Egoyan's Ararat ended up being next on my Netflix queue. Aside from a couple of aborted first attempts, Egoyan's films have consistently impressed me. Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter, and Felicia's Journey are all examples of perfect metaphoric storytelling, executed by a clear intellect with no doubts about his subject matter.

Ararat continues the tradition, although it didn't enjoy much of a release. Again, who wants to hear about genocide when there's a new episode of Friends on tonight?

Egoyan is one of the most exceptional filmmakers we have with us today. Ararat is among his best: a deeply moving, quietly human, thoughtfully constructed film. It should be seen.