The Promise
The film tells the story of Michael (Oscar Isaac), a young Armenian who dreams of studying medicine. When he travels to Constantinople to study, he meets Armenian Ana (Charlotte Le Bon) and falls in love with her, although she dates the American photographer Chris (Christian Bale), sent to Turkey to record the first genocide of the 20th century when the Turks exterminated the Armenian minority. A love triangle settles amidst the horrors of war.
The film box office disappointment against its substantial budget of $90.0M, earning $12.4M globally (-86% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its compelling narrative within the action genre.
3 wins & 8 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Promise (2016) exemplifies precise plot construction, characteristic of Terry George's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 13 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.6, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Mikael Boghosian, a young Armenian apothecary from the village of Siroun, arrives in Constantinople in 1914 to study medicine. He is engaged to marry a woman from his village and represents the hopeful aspirations of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 17 minutes when World War I begins, and the Ottoman Empire enters the war. Armenian men, including Mikael, are conscripted into labor battalions. The carefree world of medical school and romance is shattered as systematic persecution begins.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 33 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Mikael is forced into a brutal labor battalion and marched into the mountains. He actively chooses to escape during a mass execution, fleeing into the wilderness. This irreversible choice launches him into a desperate fight for survival., moving from reaction to action.
At 67 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Mikael returns to his village of Siroun only to discover it has been destroyed. His family and fiancée have been killed or deported. This false hope—the belief he could save his loved ones—is shattered. The personal stakes become unbearable, and the scale of loss is fully realized., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 100 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Chris is captured and presumably killed by Ottoman forces while trying to protect Armenian refugees. His apparent death represents the "whiff of death"—the sacrifice of the moral witness and the seeming futility of resistance. Mikael and Ana are left alone, facing impossible odds., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 106 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Mikael realizes that Chris's sacrifice and documentation were not in vain—bearing witness matters, and saving even a few lives gives meaning to survival. He chooses to lead the defense of Musa Dagh, combining his medical knowledge with newfound courage. The synthesis: love and knowledge as weapons against annihilation., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Promise's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping The Promise against these established plot points, we can identify how Terry George utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Promise within the action genre.
Terry George's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Terry George films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.6, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. The Promise exemplifies the director's characteristic narrative technique. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Terry George filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Terry George analyses, see Hotel Rwanda.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Mikael Boghosian, a young Armenian apothecary from the village of Siroun, arrives in Constantinople in 1914 to study medicine. He is engaged to marry a woman from his village and represents the hopeful aspirations of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
Theme
At a gathering, someone remarks about the tensions between communities and the fragility of peace, foreshadowing the question: "Can love and humanity survive when hatred tears a world apart?"
Worldbuilding
Mikael settles into medical school in Constantinople, living with his uncle's wealthy family. He meets Ana Khesarian, a beautiful Armenian artist raised in Paris, and Chris Myers, an American journalist for the Associated Press. The cosmopolitan world of pre-war Constantinople is established, showing Armenians, Turks, and foreigners coexisting uneasily as war tensions mount.
Disruption
World War I begins, and the Ottoman Empire enters the war. Armenian men, including Mikael, are conscripted into labor battalions. The carefree world of medical school and romance is shattered as systematic persecution begins.
Resistance
Mikael debates whether to flee or comply with conscription. He witnesses increasing persecution of Armenians—arbitrary arrests, confiscation of property, and violence. Despite Ana's and Chris's warnings about the danger, Mikael believes he can survive by keeping his head down. He struggles between his duty to his family and the growing realization that survival may require escape.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Mikael is forced into a brutal labor battalion and marched into the mountains. He actively chooses to escape during a mass execution, fleeing into the wilderness. This irreversible choice launches him into a desperate fight for survival.
Mirror World
Mikael reunites with Ana at a refugee camp, where she and Chris are documenting the Armenian deportations. Their love deepens amid the horror, representing the thematic heart: human connection as resistance against dehumanization. Chris, though in love with Ana, witnesses their bond and chooses to help them.
Premise
The "promise of the premise"—survival against genocide. Mikael, Ana, and Chris navigate the collapsing Ottoman Empire, witnessing massacres, deportation marches, and desperate refugee situations. Mikael searches for his family in Siroun while Ana and Chris document atrocities. Moments of humanity and sacrifice emerge amid systematic destruction. The scope of the genocide becomes clear.
Midpoint
Mikael returns to his village of Siroun only to discover it has been destroyed. His family and fiancée have been killed or deported. This false hope—the belief he could save his loved ones—is shattered. The personal stakes become unbearable, and the scale of loss is fully realized.
Opposition
Mikael, Ana, and Chris face mounting opposition as they try to save Armenian refugees. Turkish authorities hunt them, resources dwindle, and the genocide intensifies. Chris's photographs and reporting are suppressed by editors who don't want to antagonize the Ottoman Empire. Internal conflicts arise—Mikael wrestles with guilt, Ana with helplessness, Chris with the futility of bearing witness when the world refuses to act.
Collapse
Chris is captured and presumably killed by Ottoman forces while trying to protect Armenian refugees. His apparent death represents the "whiff of death"—the sacrifice of the moral witness and the seeming futility of resistance. Mikael and Ana are left alone, facing impossible odds.
Crisis
In the dark night of the soul, Mikael and Ana process the loss of Chris and confront their own probable deaths. They question whether survival is even possible or meaningful. Mikael must decide: give up and accept death, or fight to save the remaining refugees trapped on the mountain of Musa Dagh.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Mikael realizes that Chris's sacrifice and documentation were not in vain—bearing witness matters, and saving even a few lives gives meaning to survival. He chooses to lead the defense of Musa Dagh, combining his medical knowledge with newfound courage. The synthesis: love and knowledge as weapons against annihilation.
Synthesis
The finale: Mikael leads the refugees in defending Musa Dagh against Ottoman forces. They send signals to French naval ships offshore. In a climactic sequence, the ships rescue thousands of Armenians from the beach. Ana and Mikael fight together, and Chris—revealed to have survived—returns to document the rescue. The final confrontation is not with a single villain but with the machinery of genocide itself.
Transformation
The final image: Mikael stands among the rescued refugees on the ship, looking back at the burning landscape of their homeland. He has transformed from a hopeful medical student into a survivor who bears witness. Title cards reveal the historical Armenian Genocide and the "promise" to remember—the closing image mirrors the opening hope but is now weighted with the knowledge of survival, loss, and the imperative to never forget.