Happy_Evil_Dude I'm guessing this movie didn't have much of a budget, and damn it shows. However a movie's quality cannot be judged by its budget and plenty of lower budget films have managed to transcend money issues to deliver grand viewing experiences. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about Aram. The filming is atrocious and borderline amateurish. This will sound pompous and boastful but my first short as a film student looked more professional than this. At its best, Aram looks like a bad TV-film thriller from the early 90s, minus the thrills. The film is boring as hell. Barely five minutes had passed when I first looked at my watch and by the 30 minute mark I felt like dozing off. The horrible filming previously mentioned is a reason for this but there are others, such as the film's near total lack of music. Director Robert Kechichian probably did this to obtain a greater sense of realism, such as in 2001: A Space Odyssey, but unlike Kubrick's masterpiece it really doesn't work here (and hell, even 2001 had a few memorable and powerful musical moments). Kechichian somehow manages to film scenes such as shootings in a manner less suspenseful and exciting than a Teletubbies episode. The actors all seem to be rejects from stuff like The Young And The Restless, and are certainly not aided by Kechichian's spectacularly bad dialogs (seriously, who speaks like that?). The only actor who manages to come out somewhat unscathed is Simon Abkarian, playing the titular character. The DVD box proclaims this to be a masterpiece and you guessed it, I strongly disagree. It tries to be an "art film", concentrating more on the characters and their inner turmoil, but fails miserably. The story could have been interesting, with different dialogs and a different director, alas we're stuck with a bad script, unconvincing acting and unengaging film-making that all contribute to a very unpleasant viewing experience. All-in-all, I think Aram's big problem is that it never feels real. I have a wide range of tastes where movies are concerned, and I'm usually pretty easy on them, so when I say I thought this was bad, I really mean it. Of course there will always be people who will like it, but I sincerely can't understand why.

ma407 Plenty of violence. The movie is about Terror not about corny one line jokes or how menacing you can look. This is a movie well done, that will only get better in the sequel. It is as if there is more to be told about this intriguing and unknown gangsters. No night clubs where everyone knows your name. Family people with an agenda...so refreshing... excellent. This movie can be compared to Bourne Identity and Ronin where those movies were full of meaningless banter about who is to who and what is to what. None of that here. Very simple gangster life. Except the emotion is portrayed in the family of the lead actor. I can see a sequel to this movie on the level of GodFather II. With the budget and the right script these are the movies that are sleepers that can become big big hits!

narek33 Aram is a plot driven movie that does not completely focus on the Armenian issues regarding their relations with Turkey. It is actually a story of an Armenian family in France in which the two children, Aram and his brother, are part of a rebel group that try to kill some Turkish diplomats. However, the movie does not go into the Armenian-Turkish history but it focuses on the struggles of this Armenian family when the plans to kill the Turkish diplomat are met with violent opposition. It is a powerful movie even if you are not Armenian, in the sense that it deals with family issues in the face of a struggle.

Ruben Malayan (RubenMalayan) The film just finished screening on cable TV Hot in Israel (February 26, 2005) which is in itself surprising, due to the content of the film which deals with subjects such as Armenian genocide and the assassination of Turkish secret agent in France by an Armenian freedom-fighter with the help of Kurds. With Mossad being the one behind the Turkish secret service's arrest of Abdullah Ochalan (Kurdish leader) in Europe - and with this film being shown in Israel - in itself makes an interesting statement. It is also a personal story of a man who's torn between the cause he is fighting for and his family. I must say I don't have an impartial opinion on this film because I am an Armenian, and the story relates to me in a special way. The film is certainly very well made, with cuts between two story lines, beautiful cinematography and acting. Its a rare piece of cinema, especially because not that many films are being made about the tragedy of Armenian people in Ottoman Turkey (over 1.5 million perished), with Ararat of Atom Egoyan and Mayrig by Henri Verneuil being the exceptions. I think more films should be made about this, especially if they are as good as "Aram".