1915 (2015) Movie Script
1
Ladies and gentlemen, we
are gathered here to stage a play.
This will not be
an ordinary performance.
It is not fiction.
Our story actually happened,
a long time ago.
Tonight, on this stage...
we will tell the forgotten
story of 1915.
100 years ago,
in these very hours...
a great crime was commenced.
An entire people
vanished from the face of the earth.
Their ancient homeland
was erased.
Their churches dismantled.
Even the memory of their existence wiped
clean, and the crime covered up, forever.
We want justice!
We want justice! We want justice!
The sound
of Armenians, millions of them...
marching in cities
all across the world...
to demand a justice for a crime
that took place a century ago.
A million
and a half people slaughtered...
in the scorching deserts!
And the perpetrators
never punished!
Turkey cannot escape
the past any more!
Denial ends today! Denial ends
today! Denial ends today!
Do you feel this old theater
waking up around us?
Does that make you nervous?
It only pleases me.
The truth is that we're not really staging
a play here, we're staging a funeral...
a service for the unrecognized
ghosts of an entire nation.
Crying to be heard.
Begging to be seen.
Tonight on this stage we will create the
bridge between the present and the past.
Time itself will tear open.
And all the ghosts that still
live among us...
will finally go back to 1915.
Sir, you have to leave.
Leave. You get out!
You get out! Get out!
Restrain your woman, soldier!
No! No! No!
Ani!
No! I won't let him go!
You bastard!
May I remind you, soldier,
that the Empire is at war!
But it's not our war.
It's everybody's war now.
The entire world is wearing uniforms.
Isn't that right, soldier?
I said, "Isn't that right,
soldier?"
The colonel is right mother.
The Armenians...
The Armenians...
God damn it!
Sorry, everyone.
Angela, are you okay?
She's bleeding, Simon.
The blood is real.
Of course the blood is real,
James. You did well.
Now, Tony...
I know, I know, I know, I was
supposed to cry.
I was... I was thinking of
Grandma, just like you said.
Her smile.
Her smile?
When you think of Grandma,
remember her smile.
Her smile.
Gabriel, don't look so scared.
You are scared, which is why you
have to hide it, to appear brave.
Yes, sir.
Hey, can we do something about
this hat? It's just way too big.
Yeah, honestly, Simon... must we wear
these awful costumes for rehearsal?
But they're not costumes!
These clothes were worn by the very
Armenians slaughtered in 1915.
They died in these clothes.
Tonight, the fate of the dead
will be in your hands.
Their terror will pound
in your hearts.
At 5:00 this evening,
you will no longer be actors.
You will bring those forgotten
souls back to life...
or you will die with them.
You've always liked my scars.
My darling wife... they are the
most beautiful parts of you.
Nobody else knows
about the scars.
I know.
Only you care about the scars.
Darling.
Yes, my love?
When will it be over?
Soon, my love, very soon.
I can come up the stairs...
I can be myself again?
I hate the stairs so much.
I know... I know it's hard.
But it's your mind connecting
these two worlds.
You are the secret of this play.
Everything ends tonight?
Everything. Tonight.
And tomorrow?
Tomorrow... we will be free.
God, I hate theater.
What did I do? What did I do to
deserve this?
It must have been
something really bad.
Oh, come on.
You're enjoying this.
Should've listened to your
agent, James.
This is where movie stars
come to die.
What, you guys don't do
vocal stretches?
Oh, I just did them earlier.
Hey, listen, Tony, I've got
a question for you.
Yeah, sure.
What's going on with Angela?
She was so warm and friendly
when we started.
You really don't know?
Get ready for rehearsal.
We're running out of time!
Running out of time.
Getting nervous?
You must be a little worried
about Angela.
What? Come on, don't look at me
like that. You know what I mean.
This role you've written
for her, I mean, it's so cruel.
It's horrifying.
Yeah, this is the kind
of decision people had to make.
Your grandmother,
she did the same thing.
You're alive because she
ran off with a Turk!
What are you talking about?
I get that.
But Angela, maybe she
deserves a happier ending.
There was no
happy ending in 1915.
Even our survival was tragic.
But our play can have
a happy ending.
I'm just saying that maybe if you would
consider just rehearsing it once...
You can't change history to make it
more comfortable for you. You can't.
Face the past, Tony.
Face the past.
Face the past.
Are you in there?
I was thinking, I know that Simon doesn't
want us to rehearse the ending...
but maybe you and I could
do a walk through of it.
I won't tell if you won't.
Angela, say something.
You know we're supposed
to run off together.
By the end of the summer...
there will be no Armenians
left on the face of the earth.
By the end of the summer...
there will be no Armenians left
on the face of the earth.
You are all being marched
to your deaths.
I want you to leave with me.
I want to escape together.
I want to escape to...
together... together.
I want to make you an offer
you can't refuse.
I want you to escape with me.
I want... I want...
Hey, Tony.
Jesus!
James.
Are those my lines?
Yes... uh...
it's... something
I like to do.
Learn all the lines,
every single character.
I'm impressed.
The Turkish Colonel,
what a gig.
I mean, it's...
it's the role of a lifetime.
At first, I wanted to
play the role, but Simon
thought it would be
too dangerous for me.
What are you saying, Tony?
This isn't an ordinary
performance, James.
Like Simon said, we're dealing
with a real tragedy here...
with actual memories.
You know, the ghosts of 1915,
they're here today.
They're all around us.
Such a lovely song.
I think of Armen
every time I sing it.
Before we were married, he would
whistle it outside my window.
It was our little secret.
That sweater is a little small
for Garo, don't you think?
It's not for Garo.
Oh, my dear girl.
I wish Armen could be here.
Well, he'll come back.
The war can't last forever.
Did you hear something?
What is it, Mo...
What is the meaning of this?
Look! On the door!
It's that awful Colonel.
What does it say, Ani?
It says...
"An order of temporary
relocation."
But that can't be.
That can't be right.
Lights! Lights, please!
You gave me the chills. I don't
know how you do it, Angela.
Don't touch her!
Not again.
Simon!
How was my voice?
Angela, come to me.
Angela? Angela, where are you?
Angela. Come to me, Angela.
Angela, I'm right up the stairs.
My darling.
Did I do it right?
Was I good?
You were perfect.
Put some in your boots,
it'll activate your senses...
give you that desert feeling.
Come on, live a little.
You know, I think
I'm just gonna pretend.
Okay.
Anyway, I'm going to head
home for a couple hours.
I always take a meditation bath
before show time, so...
Hold on, Tony,
don't go yet. Sit down.
Let's have a bite.
You're close with Simon, right?
He's my brother.
Technically second cousin,
but...
Right, so you could
tell me what's...
what's going on...
Oh, you mean Angela...
well, she hasn't really
been herself lately.
Why hasn't she acted
in seven years?
Well, it's not that simple,
James.
Maybe you're just
pretending up there.
Angela... she's actually
living 1915.
So this is just...
method-acting thing?
Well, it's Simon's own method.
It's kind of like hypnotism.
Hypnotism?
It is night. One hour
before the big premiere.
The secret... You're
supposed to be in your room.
Is in the memory.
But I can't find you.
The point is you have to find
your own connection to the past.
So you build a bridge between your
memory and your character's memory.
And then, very carefully,
you cross the bridge.
You're at the top of the stairs.
You're walking down the stairs,
Angela. Do you remember?
You're entering the past.
You are becoming Ani.
You actually become
your character!
So that's what Angela's doing.
She's crossing the bridge.
What if the bridge collapses?
Recognition, Reparations, Restitution.
Today
is the day of our redemption!
Today Turkey faces the truth!
Recognition, reparations, restitution!
The cries for
justice continue here in Los Angeles...
as tens of thousands of Armenians march
from the Turkish Consulate to City Hall.
Where will they go next?
Hello?
You are
a traitor to your race, Simon.
You will lose everything!
This is Jeffrey Laufton
from the Los Angeles... what?
Protests? You can't protest
the Los Angeles Theatre!
What the... do you know
who... hung up.
Who was that?
I don't know. Turks, Armenians, I
can't tell the difference anymore.
They're all boycotting
my theater!
I mean, why on earth are the Armenians
against us, I thought they love you?
Do you know what these are?
They're death threats,
death threats, Simon.
Free speech.
Yeah, free speech... let me tell
you something about free speech.
Right-left, Turks-Armenians...
Navajo-Apache, you name it.
These so called...
Please be careful with that,
that's a family heirloom.
These so-called "communities," they
only care about free speech...
when it's speech
that they agree with. Hm?
Which is why I'm suggesting that
we turn the tables on them.
What do you mean?
I mean that we cancel the show.
Wait, wait, hear me out.
We call a nice press
conference...
we talk a little
Armenian genocide...
a little Turkish denial,
some death threats.
We spin this the right way, you can
still come out of it as a hero.
And then... and then we can
do our comedies.
I mean, we could bring back
Dolma the Musical...
and pick up right where we
left off seven years ago.
Does genocide mean
nothing to you?
Oh, come on,
genocide schmen-ocide!
You are putting on a stage
play for one night only...
with the proceeds going
to a goddamn charity!
This is my theater, too.
I've made sacrifices in this theater.
My family has made sacrifices.
I know. I know you have, but this
has become such a controversy...
the Times is sending
in a reporter.
One night, Jeffrey,
and then I'm gone.
One night and this
is all history.
On the other side of this night, there is
only death for you and damnation for me.
Come, Ani.
On the other side of this night,
there is only damnation...
death for you
and damnation for me.
I'm so excited to be working here
with talented actors like you.
We put on plays at our home.
Oh, yeah?
Do you like living there?
It's all right, but I've always
wanted to do a real play.
Take this to props.
Okay.
This is a nice touch, Simon. It's
much better than the last one.
It's the new death notice.
It gave me goose bumps.
What the hell!
Mr. West? Mr. West,
are you all right?
What happened?
He's in shock. Look at his hand.
Oh, my lord.
I'm fine, I'm fine.
James?
Accidents happen. Come... come,
James, let's wash it off.
I thought I saw something up there.
Come here, sweetie.
I'm sorry, James, the Los Angeles
is feeling its age, I guess.
It's no big deal.
These old theaters have
a life of their own.
You know, I got my start in the
theater, believe it or not.
It's good to have you back.
Everyone's so excited.
Angela most of all. You should have
seen her smile when I told her.
Really?
Hey, I've been meaning to ask
you something... about Tony.
Was he really supposed to play
the Colonel? I feel bad.
Never mind Tony. Tony
is suffering for attention.
Anyway, I didn't want
to say this out there,
but the truth is, there
are some bad vibes.
The sandbags and Tony
rehearsing my lines.
But most of all,
it's your wife.
Your wife, I think she's
in trouble, Simon.
I am taking your wife, Simon.
Angela is mine.
You must be strong, Colonel.
The wound has to sting
before it can heal.
You reporters only care
about controversy.
Why don't you ask me
about this theater, Ms. Lopez?
You know that Charlie Chaplin
was one of its founders?
Such a historic theater,
Mr. Laufton.
But why hasn't there been
a show here for seven years?
Ah, well, I'm not quite sure
why you're asking me that?
I mean, you should ask them...
mankind, humanity, whatever you
want to call them. "America."
Yes, for some reason they've decided
that theater isn't important anymore.
All I can bank on these days is the
occasional hipster bar mitzvah.
Oh, and the Immigrant Awards.
Yes, they rent the place
for six weeks every year.
Takes them forever to set up here,
speaking all those languages.
But then I suppose...
Erica?
Erica? Oh, there you are.
I thought I lost you
for a minute.
Such a creepy place.
Yes, I... I've got an idea.
Why don't I set up an interview
with James West for you.
I'm sure that's why you're here.
What's down there?
Down there? Oh, that's, um,
an old nursery...
where the actors would leave their
kids during the performance.
Really?
Yes. That was before the days that
baby-sitting became so cheap.
Oh, we... we don't really
go down there anymore now.
It's... just an old storage room.
Why don't I show you the balcony? It's
absolutely exquisitely decorated.
She knows, Simon.
I don't know how,
but she knows.
What are you talking about?
She kept asking all about
"seven years ago."
And even wanted to go
down the stairs.
If Lopez writes her story, it's over.
This theater is finished.
If you want to be a coward, if that's
the role you chose for tonight...
fine, go back to your room
and call the police.
I'll be forced to sell
this place.
Whoever buys it
will tear it down.
Perfect.
Maybe they'll finally build something
that really matters to people.
A place without memories.
You know the plan, Jeffrey.
Is something wrong?
No, no. Just...
Just right now we have to be
careful. No more accidents.
What can I do?
Uh, I want the entire stage clear,
and Lucky, only actors, okay?
Okay, copy that.
Yeah, and Lucky, make sure the
journalist finds her way out.
She's making people nervous.
Of course.
To be honest, I don't really get
what the controversy is.
The Armenian Genocide was the first
race-extermination in modern history.
Do you know how Hitler encouraged his
generals on the eve of the Holocaust?
He said; "Who today speaks of the
annihilation of the Armenians?"
Can you understand the
implication of that statement?
I don't know. Can you?
Cambodia. Rwanda. Sudan.
It's even happening right now,
right in front of our eyes...
over and over and over again...
like a nightmare repeating
itself all over the world.
And our instinct
is to look away.
To deny that anything's
happening. We do nothing.
So now you're doing
something... a play.
I like to think it raises...
Awareness... right? These are very
nice talking points, Mr. West.
But it's the victims who are
most offended by this play.
They see it as an insult
to their memory.
In fact, some of them are protesting
outside the theater right now.
They're protesting you.
You're running off with a married
Armenian woman, Mr. West.
You are the bad guy.
Hello?
You
will lose everything, Simon.
Who are you? How did you
get this number?
Your play is coming to life.
What? What did you say?
The Turk is
stealing your wife as we speak.
Hello? Hel...
Hey man, what the hell!
James. I thought it was...
Who? You thought it was who,
Simon? What's going on?
James, do you love her?
What? No. No. Look, I just came
down here to apologize.
I know I might have
a reputation...
I'm talking about the play.
In 1915, do you love her?
Uh, I guess.
James, when we look into your eyes,
we have to see this growing love.
Beat by beat, your brutality
is falling apart.
The Colonel doesn't know it yet,
but he's falling in love...
with the enemy's wife.
Keep walking! It's going
to be a long walk!
You're the last one, miss.
I just feel I'm forgetting
something.
You'll be back soon.
This is only temporary.
You keep a clean house.
It feels like... home.
Colonel, how will my husband
know where we've gone?
What is your name, pretty one?
Ani.
You don't have to worry, Ani.
You'll be safe.
You're in my hands now.
What happened? Who
turned off the lights?
- I had her in my hands...
- Angela!
Well, what happened?
Lights!
It is night... one
hour before the big premiere.
You're supposed to be in your
room, but I can't find you.
You're at the top of the
stairs. You can't hide forever.
You are walking down
the stairs.
Who's baby is this again?
Remember, Angela?
Mommy!
You have to remember.
Remember how you used to sing?
Face the truth, Angela.
You can't hide forever.
You're sick, my darling.
Your only cure is the truth.
Angela, the denial must end.
It must end.
Remember, Angela, remember.
Remember. Remember. Remember.
Angela, come to me. Up here,
Angela. Follow my voice.
- Simon!
- Angela, come back!
Angela!
Angela, what happened?
Angela, talk to me,
what happened?
You should see your face.
We need to get back into
character. Come...
Can't you just leave her alone?
It's none of your business,
James.
Yes, it is our business.
You are destroying her, can't
you see? Just let her be Angela!
Oh, because you think this
is Angela? Well, she's not.
This is an Angela
she's invented for herself.
You don't understand.
You're in denial, too.
All of you are in denial!
The reporter was right.
This isn't my cause...
and this sure as hell
isn't my goddamn method.
It is night. One hour
before the big premiere.
You're supposed to be in your
room, but I can't find you.
You are at the top
of the stairs.
I don't want to do this. I don't
even know what you're talking about.
Angela, just close your eyes
and listen to me.
This is the lamest story ever.
You couldn't put a cat to sleep
with this stupid story.
Angela, I don't have time
for this.
What?
It's James. He's leaving.
James, what's happening?
I'm through.
This was never my role to begin with.
The damn uniform doesn't even fit.
James, please.
They hate you, Simon.
Even the Armenians hate you.
I didn't sign up for this.
I didn't, either, none of us did.
This is the way it's written.
You know what, Tony can play the
part. He knows all the lines.
You can't leave, James! You
have a responsibility!
You have to save Angela!
There's no way out, James.
No way out.
Hello, yes, this is Jeffrey Laufton
from the Los Angeles Theatre.
I'd like to report
death threats.
Anyone up there? Hello?
Such a beautiful tune...
the one that Angela sings.
What are you doing here?
I've been following your career
for a long time, Mr. Mamoulian.
You had a very nice career.
Those quirky, ethnic comedies
made everyone happy.
Made a lot of money, too.
And?
And... then everything ended.
Just one hour before your big
premiere, the show was cancelled...
and all of a sudden you
and your wife just... vanished.
Ask your question, Ms. Lopez.
Why are you really doing this
play, Mr. Mamoulian? Why now?
Why have you returned
to this theater?
Don't you think it's dangerous
to fiddle with memories...
to play with the past?
You seduce a tired, old actress
out of retirement.
You exploit the hope of an
eight-year-old orphan.
You give the lead to a celebrity
with no connection to the cause.
And your poor wife...
what are you doing to her?
Who are you?
You still don't know.
After all this time you still
don't recognize me.
I'm such a terrible actress
that you don't recognize me...
even as I stand right...
under... your... nose.
No.
It's me, Simon.
The phone calls. The sandbags.
The leaks. It was you.
You weren't listening, Simon. I was trying
to warn you, and you weren't listening.
You know when you first gave me the
script, I was a little surprised.
I thought, "This isn't the
tribute he promised."
I never promised a tribute.
I said we would face the truth.
Face the truth. You said it so many times I
began to wonder, you know, really wonder.
What truth does he mean? Does he
mean the truth of the genocide?
Or... the truth
of what happened here?
There's no difference.
Don't get me wrong, Simon. I think
it's brilliant. I really do.
I mean, bringing her back here,
it's so creative.
It's... it's what we always
talked about, right?
How theater can actually heal.
But you can't heal Angela by sending
her off with another man. A Turk.
That's unforgivable, Simon. I can't
let you ruin yourself like that.
Yeah, so you cross-dress like a
lunatic and you sabotage my play.
You don't get it.
I'm saving the play.
Don't you see what's
happening here?
It's the 100th anniversary. The
Armenian people need a victory.
They need an Armenian hero.
Come on, Simon.
You know it, deep down.
You know what has to be done.
The Colonel...
you want to play the Colonel.
Because it's Ani's husband who comes
back disguised as the Colonel, right?
That's how they both survive.
He saves her from the genocide.
Now that's the story people want!
That's the celebration of our survival!
Yes, of course. Yes.
You know I never stopped
practicing for the Colonel.
I can do it. I even have the
disguise all ready to go.
Look.
You must forget your husband,
Ani. I am your husband now.
And that's when she gets it,
right?
It's been her husband the whole
time, he's come back to save her!
Genius, Tony. What can I say?
Pure genius.
Remember? And then I said,
"Dolma? Wouldn't wanna be ya."
And then... and then her grape
leaf fell off.
Yeah, I remember. Yeah.
You have to admit, I had you fooled there
with my "Erica Lopez from the Times".
What?
Acting was always
about denial for you.
Denying your fears,
your mediocrity.
Denying your past,
your name... Tony Gallow.
Acting, real acting, means
facing the truth about yourself.
Facing the evil that lives inside you
and show the world night after night.
But you, you never had the
courage to do that, did you?
I was trying to help.
Shut up! Shut up already!
Shut up!
You're not an actor, Tony.
You're an escape artist.
You betrayed me.
You almost killed James!
What? I had nothing to do
with that, Simon! I swear!
Simon, stop this!
You will lose everything.
Goodbye, Tony.
You don't belong to 1915.
You were never meant
to be a ghost.
Don't let him go!
It was my role.
Take him! We want justice! We
want justice! We want justice!
Returning
now to the Los Angeles Theatre...
site of Simon Mamoulian's 1915.
One hour before show time, the
box office is still closed...
as hundreds of local
activists have
unexpectedly surrounded
this historic venue.
Simon Mamoulian
is a traitor to his own people!
He is exploiting the death of our
ancestors with his mediocre career!
Most protestors
here are not Turks who deny the genocide.
They are Armenians, deeply offended by the
premise of this one-night-only play...
the decision of an Armenian woman to
run off with her Turkish oppressor.
Most Armenian women
preferred to die
rather than run off...
with a Turk.
Who's gonna honor them?
I'm sure in the
sequel, he'll show Anne
Frank smooching a Nazi!
Instead
of challenging Turkish denial...
Mamoulian is spitting on the
memory of our martyrs.
Today Simon has turned
his back on his friends, his career...
and his family. Stop this,
Simon, before it's too late.
Sir, threats fatal in nature, we are
obligated to evacuate the building by law.
Now you yourself reported some of
these threats, isn't that correct?
Yes.
You said you were concerned
for your safety.
Did I?
I don't remember anymore.
Sir, I'm going to make this
very, very easy for you.
Do you feel that the threats
were legitimate?
Mr. Laufton?
No.
No?
No. I think they were just
probably typical nut job letters.
I've seen hundreds of them.
Look, we've only got an hour
until curtain.
What I only really want you to do
is to make sure that our ghosts...
can get into the theater safely.
Did I say ghosts?
I meant guests, obviously.
So you'll stay, won't you,
James?
If you're the one asking me,
I will.
Okay!
All right, calm down, calm down. We
got a lot of work to do. The ending.
The ending can happen only once.
That is when 1915 comes to life.
Well, why won't he let us
rehearse it?
We're gonna rehearse it next.
The question is...
are you ready?
Ani's Decision. The scene
that everybody's angry about.
You're going to have
to seduce me.
Oh?
It's not easy to seduce me.
Come, Ani.
Let us escape together.
Nah.
No.
You are so talented, Angela.
Seriously, I think you should be a
star, a real star, a movie star.
And I think I can help you with that. I
know I can get you into my next movie.
Your movie?
Yes. Don't you want people to see
just how passionate you were...
how beautiful you were,
a hundred years from now?
You're smiling.
You're thinking about it.
No. No...
It's not that.
It's just been a long time since
I've thought about the future.
Sometimes I feel like there is
no future, you know what I mean?
It just... it feels like...
the same dark night...
over and over and over again.
Ray, can you get those bodies
closer together, please.
So they look like family?
That's good. Thank you!
Box office is open, Simon.
I still can't get a hold of Tony, though.
He's supposed to be here by now.
Don't worry about Tony. He'll
come back. He always comes back.
The time has come, my darling.
This is no longer an exercise.
Are you ready?
I'm ready.
No!
Seven years, Angela, seven years. You've
been drifting for seven years. It's time.
Come.
It is night, one hour
before the premiere.
You're supposed to be in your
room, but I can't find you.
You're going down the stairs.
Garo is here, too.
Remember Garo?
Try to remember.
He was right here,
in your arms.
You always held him like this.
Until the very last moment.
We were running out of time.
The show was about to begin.
Seven years ago,
this is where our son died.
Remember the lullaby?
Night has fallen over the
Ottoman Turkish empire.
By now, Armenians have been
driven deep into the desert.
They're about to meet
their fate.
It is 1915.
Shhh. Everybody's asleep.
I have to tell you a secret.
What is it?
All of these people, you are all
being marched to your deaths.
That can't be.
It has already been decided.
By the end of summer, there will be no
Armenians left on the face of the earth.
Why are you telling me this?
I want you to leave with me.
I want to escape together.
We don't have time, Ani.
Think about the future.
We are just two people in the
night. Nobody's watching.
Come, Ani. Let us save each
other from our destinies.
My answer... is no.
I can't leave.
I can't leave my family.
What happened, darling?
You have to say yes.
You have to take his hand.
I saw something.
You saw something where?
I saw something there.
There's no... there's nobody
there, darling. Nobody.
Okay, let's go again, huh.
James...
could you be more tender
with her?
Make sure she understands
you really love her.
You want me to convince
her that I really love her.
Yes, I want you to convince her.
Yeah.
Shhh. Everybody's asleep.
I have to tell you a secret.
All of these people, you are all
being marched to your deaths.
Why are you telling me this?
I want you to leave with me.
I want us to escape.
We don't have time, Ani.
Think of the future.
I don't want this, either.
We've been playing the roles
that have been written for us...
but right now, we are just two people
in the night. Nobody is watching.
Let us escape this madness.
I am your freedom, Ani.
That is all that matters.
This is our last chance.
On the other side of this night, there is
only death for you and damnation for me.
Come, Ani, let us save each
other from our destinies.
Take the Colonel's hand, Ani.
That's all you have to do.
No.
Ani, take the man's hand.
No, I'm not going to leave him.
I won't. I won't leave my baby.
Ani... Sa martoon tserke prne,
verchanank.
Chem, chem karogh.
Voch mi hye kin, cher karogh.
Hasgutsah. Ani,
inkn e ku miyag prgutyune!
Hedo grnas tskel iren.
Payts hima heduh bedk e ertas.
No.
Ani, you're gonna die.
The entire Armenian people are going
to die, because of you. Take his hand.
No.
Let go.
Simon, no! No!
No! Chem oozoom! No.
No! This is my decision!
This is my decision!
Hey, wait up!
Angela, please speak to me.
We can work through this.
Just take my hand,
it's not a big deal.
I can never abandon my son,
Colonel.
You understand that?
I can never betray my family.
Hey, Gabriel.
What are you doing here?
What do you mean, buddy?
You don't care about her.
You're just pretending.
You're an actor.
You're scaring me.
Why don't you put the gun down.
Why?
You shouldn't point guns at
people, even if it's not real.
If it's not real,
then why are you scared?
Simon.
The journalist is not writing
the story, Jeffrey.
Journalist, shmournalist.
I'm worried about Angela.
We all are.
Simon.
Hey Simon, you up here?
Hey, listen, man,
I just wanted to...
Hello?
What am I doing wrong?
Why won't Angela take his hand?
Well, I was thinking, not
to violate the terms
of the Geneva Convention
or anything...
maybe, just once, the man can
take the woman's hand.
No... she has to make her own decision.
That's the whole point of 1915.
She's faced the truth. Now
it's time for her to move on.
What if she doesn't?
If she doesn't,
Jeffrey, then she's finished.
She's trapped forever.
Come in.
Oh, James, it's good you came.
I wanted to see you
before you left.
What if I told you
that the play can go on?
That Angela will take my hand.
What if I told you that
she can finally be free?
What are you talking about?
Look at her, Simon. Look
at what you've done to her.
She had to know the truth.
Not everyone needs
the truth the way you do.
People forget all the time.
About people they love,
about people they've lost.
Some even forget about a genocide, because
that's what they need to do to move on.
This is not moving on. You have
to face the truth to move on.
You don't even want her to move on.
You could never forgive her for that.
All you've really wanted
is to suffer together.
For her to share in your pain.
What do you want from me?
I can't change the way you are, Simon.
You will always live in the past.
But Angela, she can still
have a future.
You know I can save her, Simon.
I can take her away
from all of this.
Ahh... the ending.
You can't bear
the sight of it, can you?
But that's the way
the story ends.
With Angela and me together.
That's the way you wrote it.
Tony.
What?
Huh? What you say is not
possible. Tony's gone.
We have nobody to replace him.
He was never supposed
to play the role.
That's why the magic isn't happening.
Angela's decision is false.
Okay, then who? Who's going
to play the husband?
You know who.
It's not just your baby...
it's you Angela has to leave.
Say goodbye to your wife,
Simon.
Gabriel, are you lost?
I know where I am.
I remember my first
opening night.
Why is she sad?
Who?
Your wife, Angela.
I can tell she is sad.
The woman in that room
is not really Angela.
No?
No.
There is magic in this theater.
Real magic.
Can you keep a secret, Gabriel?
Tonight, all of us, on our stage
and in the audience...
we're going back in time.
We're going to a...
strange and dangerous place.
Angela is already there.
Do you want to go there,
Gabriel?
Angela... Angela,
can you hear me?
You're not my husband.
No.
Can you tell me where you are?
Downstairs.
Angela, can you please come
upstairs. I need to talk to you.
I have to stay here...
with my baby.
You have to go now.
No, Angela,
I won't go, I can't.
Why are you smiling?
You keep calling me Angela.
You have the wrong girl.
What did he do to you?
It was nice chatting.
Goodbye.
No, no, Angela, don't go!
Angela, don't go.
Hello, Ani.
I'm coming to get you now.
No, no.
I'm coming down the steps now.
Please, stop.
I can see you now, Ani.
I can see your little boy.
I killed him.
We fell downstairs.
I... I killed him.
It is a new world we are going
to, a world free of pain.
I can save you, Ani...
but you must forget about your son, and
you must forget about your husband.
Trust me, Ani.
I know the way out of here.
I know the way back.
Good evening and welcome
to the Los Angeles Theatre!
Do you believe in magic, sir?
Of course.
Excellent!
Mr. West, places.
Places, everyone!
Places, please.
We're on in five.
Simon, it's time.
'Tis in my memory locked, and you
yourself shall keep the key of it.
Ms. Lillian,
what are you doing?
Lucky... just an old ritual.
The events that inspired this
play were meant to be forgotten.
Many people, for many reasons, still
wish them to remain forgotten.
But of course, the past never
forgets who you are.
It follows you,
like a shadow, to the end.
Ladies and gentiles,
welcome to 1915.
Ani! What happened?
Ani! Ani!
Oh, we're all right.
We just had a little fall.
Oh, my heart nearly cracked!
What was all that noise?
It's nothing, Mom. We were
playing. How is the garden?
Well, it's the weeds again.
They're suffocating the tomatoes.
I can help you, Grandma.
I'll pull out the weeds.
And son, don't forget.
Rip them from their roots.
So they can never grow
again from the soil.
So they can never grow
from the soil again.
Come, Garo...
we are going to have a big harvest
this year, your father has promised.
We're going to have new fruit.
No! No! You have to go!
Restrain your woman, soldier!
No! No!
This is my family! No!
May I remind you, soldier,
that the empire is at war.
But it is not our war!
It's everybody's war now. The
entire world is wearing uniforms.
Isn't that right, soldier?
I said... isn't that right,
soldier?
He's right, mother.
Armenians have to do
their part.
But we've done our part!
We make this empire work.
Our farmers grow your fruit. Our
architects build your palaces...
and yet you hate us.
Maybe we remind you that this
land isn't really yours.
You take our guns,
now you take our men.
What will you
come to take next?
You're out of time, soldier.
Say goodbye to your family.
I will always love you.
Come back. Come back.
I'll come back, I promise.
I'll come back.
We'll pray for you.
There will be no need for that.
I'm afraid where your husband
is going, there is no God.
You can let go now.
Such a lovely song.
I think of Armen
every time I sing it.
Before we were married, he would
whistle it outside my window.
It was our little secret.
I never dared to come out...
but every night,
I would wait to hear that song.
That sweater, is a little small
for Garo, don't you think?
It isn't for Garo.
Keep walking! You
have a long walk ahead of you.
You're the last one, miss.
I just feel I'm
forgetting something.
You'll be back soon.
It's only temporary.
You keep a clean house.
Feels like... home.
Colonel, how will my husband
know where we've gone?
What is your name, pretty one?
Ani.
You don't have to worry, Ani.
You'll be safe.
You're in my hands now.
No, no!
Shhh. Everybody is asleep.
All of these people... you are
all being led to your deaths.
Why are you telling me this?
I want you to leave with me.
I want to escape together.
We don't have time, Ani.
Think of the future.
I don't want this, either.
We have been playing the roles
that have been written for us.
But right now we are just
two people in the night.
No one is watching.
Let us escape this madness.
This is our last chance.
On the other side of this night,
there is only death for you...
and damnation for me.
Let us save each other
from our destinies.
But I can never forgive myself.
You don't have time, Ani.
We are all... out of time.
Goodbye, my darling.
We're the descendants
of those who escaped and survived.
We continue to live,
without a homeland...
in various corners
of the world.
We've been living among you, trying to
forget what happened to our families.
And, of course, we pretend
that we are just like you.
This is our greatest role.
But really, we are nothing more
than actors. We are ghosts.
We've roamed the earth 100
years, unable to cope and rest.
Unable to forget our unfinished
business with history.
1915! Never again!
1915! Never again!
The great Simon Mamoulian!
You suck!... Amot!
Listen to us, howling our pain.
Searching for the meaning
of all this madness.
Don't do this, Simon, please!
Listen to me!
1915! Never again!
Tomorrow, when the
Armenians and the Turks wake up...
they must be free
of their ghosts.
We cannot go on like this, possessed
and deranged by our past!
We must settle our score
with history.
We must face the truth
and... move on.
Move on.
Ladies and gentlemen, we
are gathered here to stage a play.
This will not be
an ordinary performance.
It is not fiction.
Our story actually happened,
a long time ago.
Tonight, on this stage...
we will tell the forgotten
story of 1915.
100 years ago,
in these very hours...
a great crime was commenced.
An entire people
vanished from the face of the earth.
Their ancient homeland
was erased.
Their churches dismantled.
Even the memory of their existence wiped
clean, and the crime covered up, forever.
We want justice!
We want justice! We want justice!
The sound
of Armenians, millions of them...
marching in cities
all across the world...
to demand a justice for a crime
that took place a century ago.
A million
and a half people slaughtered...
in the scorching deserts!
And the perpetrators
never punished!
Turkey cannot escape
the past any more!
Denial ends today! Denial ends
today! Denial ends today!
Do you feel this old theater
waking up around us?
Does that make you nervous?
It only pleases me.
The truth is that we're not really staging
a play here, we're staging a funeral...
a service for the unrecognized
ghosts of an entire nation.
Crying to be heard.
Begging to be seen.
Tonight on this stage we will create the
bridge between the present and the past.
Time itself will tear open.
And all the ghosts that still
live among us...
will finally go back to 1915.
Sir, you have to leave.
Leave. You get out!
You get out! Get out!
Restrain your woman, soldier!
No! No! No!
Ani!
No! I won't let him go!
You bastard!
May I remind you, soldier,
that the Empire is at war!
But it's not our war.
It's everybody's war now.
The entire world is wearing uniforms.
Isn't that right, soldier?
I said, "Isn't that right,
soldier?"
The colonel is right mother.
The Armenians...
The Armenians...
God damn it!
Sorry, everyone.
Angela, are you okay?
She's bleeding, Simon.
The blood is real.
Of course the blood is real,
James. You did well.
Now, Tony...
I know, I know, I know, I was
supposed to cry.
I was... I was thinking of
Grandma, just like you said.
Her smile.
Her smile?
When you think of Grandma,
remember her smile.
Her smile.
Gabriel, don't look so scared.
You are scared, which is why you
have to hide it, to appear brave.
Yes, sir.
Hey, can we do something about
this hat? It's just way too big.
Yeah, honestly, Simon... must we wear
these awful costumes for rehearsal?
But they're not costumes!
These clothes were worn by the very
Armenians slaughtered in 1915.
They died in these clothes.
Tonight, the fate of the dead
will be in your hands.
Their terror will pound
in your hearts.
At 5:00 this evening,
you will no longer be actors.
You will bring those forgotten
souls back to life...
or you will die with them.
You've always liked my scars.
My darling wife... they are the
most beautiful parts of you.
Nobody else knows
about the scars.
I know.
Only you care about the scars.
Darling.
Yes, my love?
When will it be over?
Soon, my love, very soon.
I can come up the stairs...
I can be myself again?
I hate the stairs so much.
I know... I know it's hard.
But it's your mind connecting
these two worlds.
You are the secret of this play.
Everything ends tonight?
Everything. Tonight.
And tomorrow?
Tomorrow... we will be free.
God, I hate theater.
What did I do? What did I do to
deserve this?
It must have been
something really bad.
Oh, come on.
You're enjoying this.
Should've listened to your
agent, James.
This is where movie stars
come to die.
What, you guys don't do
vocal stretches?
Oh, I just did them earlier.
Hey, listen, Tony, I've got
a question for you.
Yeah, sure.
What's going on with Angela?
She was so warm and friendly
when we started.
You really don't know?
Get ready for rehearsal.
We're running out of time!
Running out of time.
Getting nervous?
You must be a little worried
about Angela.
What? Come on, don't look at me
like that. You know what I mean.
This role you've written
for her, I mean, it's so cruel.
It's horrifying.
Yeah, this is the kind
of decision people had to make.
Your grandmother,
she did the same thing.
You're alive because she
ran off with a Turk!
What are you talking about?
I get that.
But Angela, maybe she
deserves a happier ending.
There was no
happy ending in 1915.
Even our survival was tragic.
But our play can have
a happy ending.
I'm just saying that maybe if you would
consider just rehearsing it once...
You can't change history to make it
more comfortable for you. You can't.
Face the past, Tony.
Face the past.
Face the past.
Are you in there?
I was thinking, I know that Simon doesn't
want us to rehearse the ending...
but maybe you and I could
do a walk through of it.
I won't tell if you won't.
Angela, say something.
You know we're supposed
to run off together.
By the end of the summer...
there will be no Armenians
left on the face of the earth.
By the end of the summer...
there will be no Armenians left
on the face of the earth.
You are all being marched
to your deaths.
I want you to leave with me.
I want to escape together.
I want to escape to...
together... together.
I want to make you an offer
you can't refuse.
I want you to escape with me.
I want... I want...
Hey, Tony.
Jesus!
James.
Are those my lines?
Yes... uh...
it's... something
I like to do.
Learn all the lines,
every single character.
I'm impressed.
The Turkish Colonel,
what a gig.
I mean, it's...
it's the role of a lifetime.
At first, I wanted to
play the role, but Simon
thought it would be
too dangerous for me.
What are you saying, Tony?
This isn't an ordinary
performance, James.
Like Simon said, we're dealing
with a real tragedy here...
with actual memories.
You know, the ghosts of 1915,
they're here today.
They're all around us.
Such a lovely song.
I think of Armen
every time I sing it.
Before we were married, he would
whistle it outside my window.
It was our little secret.
That sweater is a little small
for Garo, don't you think?
It's not for Garo.
Oh, my dear girl.
I wish Armen could be here.
Well, he'll come back.
The war can't last forever.
Did you hear something?
What is it, Mo...
What is the meaning of this?
Look! On the door!
It's that awful Colonel.
What does it say, Ani?
It says...
"An order of temporary
relocation."
But that can't be.
That can't be right.
Lights! Lights, please!
You gave me the chills. I don't
know how you do it, Angela.
Don't touch her!
Not again.
Simon!
How was my voice?
Angela, come to me.
Angela? Angela, where are you?
Angela. Come to me, Angela.
Angela, I'm right up the stairs.
My darling.
Did I do it right?
Was I good?
You were perfect.
Put some in your boots,
it'll activate your senses...
give you that desert feeling.
Come on, live a little.
You know, I think
I'm just gonna pretend.
Okay.
Anyway, I'm going to head
home for a couple hours.
I always take a meditation bath
before show time, so...
Hold on, Tony,
don't go yet. Sit down.
Let's have a bite.
You're close with Simon, right?
He's my brother.
Technically second cousin,
but...
Right, so you could
tell me what's...
what's going on...
Oh, you mean Angela...
well, she hasn't really
been herself lately.
Why hasn't she acted
in seven years?
Well, it's not that simple,
James.
Maybe you're just
pretending up there.
Angela... she's actually
living 1915.
So this is just...
method-acting thing?
Well, it's Simon's own method.
It's kind of like hypnotism.
Hypnotism?
It is night. One hour
before the big premiere.
The secret... You're
supposed to be in your room.
Is in the memory.
But I can't find you.
The point is you have to find
your own connection to the past.
So you build a bridge between your
memory and your character's memory.
And then, very carefully,
you cross the bridge.
You're at the top of the stairs.
You're walking down the stairs,
Angela. Do you remember?
You're entering the past.
You are becoming Ani.
You actually become
your character!
So that's what Angela's doing.
She's crossing the bridge.
What if the bridge collapses?
Recognition, Reparations, Restitution.
Today
is the day of our redemption!
Today Turkey faces the truth!
Recognition, reparations, restitution!
The cries for
justice continue here in Los Angeles...
as tens of thousands of Armenians march
from the Turkish Consulate to City Hall.
Where will they go next?
Hello?
You are
a traitor to your race, Simon.
You will lose everything!
This is Jeffrey Laufton
from the Los Angeles... what?
Protests? You can't protest
the Los Angeles Theatre!
What the... do you know
who... hung up.
Who was that?
I don't know. Turks, Armenians, I
can't tell the difference anymore.
They're all boycotting
my theater!
I mean, why on earth are the Armenians
against us, I thought they love you?
Do you know what these are?
They're death threats,
death threats, Simon.
Free speech.
Yeah, free speech... let me tell
you something about free speech.
Right-left, Turks-Armenians...
Navajo-Apache, you name it.
These so called...
Please be careful with that,
that's a family heirloom.
These so-called "communities," they
only care about free speech...
when it's speech
that they agree with. Hm?
Which is why I'm suggesting that
we turn the tables on them.
What do you mean?
I mean that we cancel the show.
Wait, wait, hear me out.
We call a nice press
conference...
we talk a little
Armenian genocide...
a little Turkish denial,
some death threats.
We spin this the right way, you can
still come out of it as a hero.
And then... and then we can
do our comedies.
I mean, we could bring back
Dolma the Musical...
and pick up right where we
left off seven years ago.
Does genocide mean
nothing to you?
Oh, come on,
genocide schmen-ocide!
You are putting on a stage
play for one night only...
with the proceeds going
to a goddamn charity!
This is my theater, too.
I've made sacrifices in this theater.
My family has made sacrifices.
I know. I know you have, but this
has become such a controversy...
the Times is sending
in a reporter.
One night, Jeffrey,
and then I'm gone.
One night and this
is all history.
On the other side of this night, there is
only death for you and damnation for me.
Come, Ani.
On the other side of this night,
there is only damnation...
death for you
and damnation for me.
I'm so excited to be working here
with talented actors like you.
We put on plays at our home.
Oh, yeah?
Do you like living there?
It's all right, but I've always
wanted to do a real play.
Take this to props.
Okay.
This is a nice touch, Simon. It's
much better than the last one.
It's the new death notice.
It gave me goose bumps.
What the hell!
Mr. West? Mr. West,
are you all right?
What happened?
He's in shock. Look at his hand.
Oh, my lord.
I'm fine, I'm fine.
James?
Accidents happen. Come... come,
James, let's wash it off.
I thought I saw something up there.
Come here, sweetie.
I'm sorry, James, the Los Angeles
is feeling its age, I guess.
It's no big deal.
These old theaters have
a life of their own.
You know, I got my start in the
theater, believe it or not.
It's good to have you back.
Everyone's so excited.
Angela most of all. You should have
seen her smile when I told her.
Really?
Hey, I've been meaning to ask
you something... about Tony.
Was he really supposed to play
the Colonel? I feel bad.
Never mind Tony. Tony
is suffering for attention.
Anyway, I didn't want
to say this out there,
but the truth is, there
are some bad vibes.
The sandbags and Tony
rehearsing my lines.
But most of all,
it's your wife.
Your wife, I think she's
in trouble, Simon.
I am taking your wife, Simon.
Angela is mine.
You must be strong, Colonel.
The wound has to sting
before it can heal.
You reporters only care
about controversy.
Why don't you ask me
about this theater, Ms. Lopez?
You know that Charlie Chaplin
was one of its founders?
Such a historic theater,
Mr. Laufton.
But why hasn't there been
a show here for seven years?
Ah, well, I'm not quite sure
why you're asking me that?
I mean, you should ask them...
mankind, humanity, whatever you
want to call them. "America."
Yes, for some reason they've decided
that theater isn't important anymore.
All I can bank on these days is the
occasional hipster bar mitzvah.
Oh, and the Immigrant Awards.
Yes, they rent the place
for six weeks every year.
Takes them forever to set up here,
speaking all those languages.
But then I suppose...
Erica?
Erica? Oh, there you are.
I thought I lost you
for a minute.
Such a creepy place.
Yes, I... I've got an idea.
Why don't I set up an interview
with James West for you.
I'm sure that's why you're here.
What's down there?
Down there? Oh, that's, um,
an old nursery...
where the actors would leave their
kids during the performance.
Really?
Yes. That was before the days that
baby-sitting became so cheap.
Oh, we... we don't really
go down there anymore now.
It's... just an old storage room.
Why don't I show you the balcony? It's
absolutely exquisitely decorated.
She knows, Simon.
I don't know how,
but she knows.
What are you talking about?
She kept asking all about
"seven years ago."
And even wanted to go
down the stairs.
If Lopez writes her story, it's over.
This theater is finished.
If you want to be a coward, if that's
the role you chose for tonight...
fine, go back to your room
and call the police.
I'll be forced to sell
this place.
Whoever buys it
will tear it down.
Perfect.
Maybe they'll finally build something
that really matters to people.
A place without memories.
You know the plan, Jeffrey.
Is something wrong?
No, no. Just...
Just right now we have to be
careful. No more accidents.
What can I do?
Uh, I want the entire stage clear,
and Lucky, only actors, okay?
Okay, copy that.
Yeah, and Lucky, make sure the
journalist finds her way out.
She's making people nervous.
Of course.
To be honest, I don't really get
what the controversy is.
The Armenian Genocide was the first
race-extermination in modern history.
Do you know how Hitler encouraged his
generals on the eve of the Holocaust?
He said; "Who today speaks of the
annihilation of the Armenians?"
Can you understand the
implication of that statement?
I don't know. Can you?
Cambodia. Rwanda. Sudan.
It's even happening right now,
right in front of our eyes...
over and over and over again...
like a nightmare repeating
itself all over the world.
And our instinct
is to look away.
To deny that anything's
happening. We do nothing.
So now you're doing
something... a play.
I like to think it raises...
Awareness... right? These are very
nice talking points, Mr. West.
But it's the victims who are
most offended by this play.
They see it as an insult
to their memory.
In fact, some of them are protesting
outside the theater right now.
They're protesting you.
You're running off with a married
Armenian woman, Mr. West.
You are the bad guy.
Hello?
You
will lose everything, Simon.
Who are you? How did you
get this number?
Your play is coming to life.
What? What did you say?
The Turk is
stealing your wife as we speak.
Hello? Hel...
Hey man, what the hell!
James. I thought it was...
Who? You thought it was who,
Simon? What's going on?
James, do you love her?
What? No. No. Look, I just came
down here to apologize.
I know I might have
a reputation...
I'm talking about the play.
In 1915, do you love her?
Uh, I guess.
James, when we look into your eyes,
we have to see this growing love.
Beat by beat, your brutality
is falling apart.
The Colonel doesn't know it yet,
but he's falling in love...
with the enemy's wife.
Keep walking! It's going
to be a long walk!
You're the last one, miss.
I just feel I'm forgetting
something.
You'll be back soon.
This is only temporary.
You keep a clean house.
It feels like... home.
Colonel, how will my husband
know where we've gone?
What is your name, pretty one?
Ani.
You don't have to worry, Ani.
You'll be safe.
You're in my hands now.
What happened? Who
turned off the lights?
- I had her in my hands...
- Angela!
Well, what happened?
Lights!
It is night... one
hour before the big premiere.
You're supposed to be in your
room, but I can't find you.
You're at the top of the
stairs. You can't hide forever.
You are walking down
the stairs.
Who's baby is this again?
Remember, Angela?
Mommy!
You have to remember.
Remember how you used to sing?
Face the truth, Angela.
You can't hide forever.
You're sick, my darling.
Your only cure is the truth.
Angela, the denial must end.
It must end.
Remember, Angela, remember.
Remember. Remember. Remember.
Angela, come to me. Up here,
Angela. Follow my voice.
- Simon!
- Angela, come back!
Angela!
Angela, what happened?
Angela, talk to me,
what happened?
You should see your face.
We need to get back into
character. Come...
Can't you just leave her alone?
It's none of your business,
James.
Yes, it is our business.
You are destroying her, can't
you see? Just let her be Angela!
Oh, because you think this
is Angela? Well, she's not.
This is an Angela
she's invented for herself.
You don't understand.
You're in denial, too.
All of you are in denial!
The reporter was right.
This isn't my cause...
and this sure as hell
isn't my goddamn method.
It is night. One hour
before the big premiere.
You're supposed to be in your
room, but I can't find you.
You are at the top
of the stairs.
I don't want to do this. I don't
even know what you're talking about.
Angela, just close your eyes
and listen to me.
This is the lamest story ever.
You couldn't put a cat to sleep
with this stupid story.
Angela, I don't have time
for this.
What?
It's James. He's leaving.
James, what's happening?
I'm through.
This was never my role to begin with.
The damn uniform doesn't even fit.
James, please.
They hate you, Simon.
Even the Armenians hate you.
I didn't sign up for this.
I didn't, either, none of us did.
This is the way it's written.
You know what, Tony can play the
part. He knows all the lines.
You can't leave, James! You
have a responsibility!
You have to save Angela!
There's no way out, James.
No way out.
Hello, yes, this is Jeffrey Laufton
from the Los Angeles Theatre.
I'd like to report
death threats.
Anyone up there? Hello?
Such a beautiful tune...
the one that Angela sings.
What are you doing here?
I've been following your career
for a long time, Mr. Mamoulian.
You had a very nice career.
Those quirky, ethnic comedies
made everyone happy.
Made a lot of money, too.
And?
And... then everything ended.
Just one hour before your big
premiere, the show was cancelled...
and all of a sudden you
and your wife just... vanished.
Ask your question, Ms. Lopez.
Why are you really doing this
play, Mr. Mamoulian? Why now?
Why have you returned
to this theater?
Don't you think it's dangerous
to fiddle with memories...
to play with the past?
You seduce a tired, old actress
out of retirement.
You exploit the hope of an
eight-year-old orphan.
You give the lead to a celebrity
with no connection to the cause.
And your poor wife...
what are you doing to her?
Who are you?
You still don't know.
After all this time you still
don't recognize me.
I'm such a terrible actress
that you don't recognize me...
even as I stand right...
under... your... nose.
No.
It's me, Simon.
The phone calls. The sandbags.
The leaks. It was you.
You weren't listening, Simon. I was trying
to warn you, and you weren't listening.
You know when you first gave me the
script, I was a little surprised.
I thought, "This isn't the
tribute he promised."
I never promised a tribute.
I said we would face the truth.
Face the truth. You said it so many times I
began to wonder, you know, really wonder.
What truth does he mean? Does he
mean the truth of the genocide?
Or... the truth
of what happened here?
There's no difference.
Don't get me wrong, Simon. I think
it's brilliant. I really do.
I mean, bringing her back here,
it's so creative.
It's... it's what we always
talked about, right?
How theater can actually heal.
But you can't heal Angela by sending
her off with another man. A Turk.
That's unforgivable, Simon. I can't
let you ruin yourself like that.
Yeah, so you cross-dress like a
lunatic and you sabotage my play.
You don't get it.
I'm saving the play.
Don't you see what's
happening here?
It's the 100th anniversary. The
Armenian people need a victory.
They need an Armenian hero.
Come on, Simon.
You know it, deep down.
You know what has to be done.
The Colonel...
you want to play the Colonel.
Because it's Ani's husband who comes
back disguised as the Colonel, right?
That's how they both survive.
He saves her from the genocide.
Now that's the story people want!
That's the celebration of our survival!
Yes, of course. Yes.
You know I never stopped
practicing for the Colonel.
I can do it. I even have the
disguise all ready to go.
Look.
You must forget your husband,
Ani. I am your husband now.
And that's when she gets it,
right?
It's been her husband the whole
time, he's come back to save her!
Genius, Tony. What can I say?
Pure genius.
Remember? And then I said,
"Dolma? Wouldn't wanna be ya."
And then... and then her grape
leaf fell off.
Yeah, I remember. Yeah.
You have to admit, I had you fooled there
with my "Erica Lopez from the Times".
What?
Acting was always
about denial for you.
Denying your fears,
your mediocrity.
Denying your past,
your name... Tony Gallow.
Acting, real acting, means
facing the truth about yourself.
Facing the evil that lives inside you
and show the world night after night.
But you, you never had the
courage to do that, did you?
I was trying to help.
Shut up! Shut up already!
Shut up!
You're not an actor, Tony.
You're an escape artist.
You betrayed me.
You almost killed James!
What? I had nothing to do
with that, Simon! I swear!
Simon, stop this!
You will lose everything.
Goodbye, Tony.
You don't belong to 1915.
You were never meant
to be a ghost.
Don't let him go!
It was my role.
Take him! We want justice! We
want justice! We want justice!
Returning
now to the Los Angeles Theatre...
site of Simon Mamoulian's 1915.
One hour before show time, the
box office is still closed...
as hundreds of local
activists have
unexpectedly surrounded
this historic venue.
Simon Mamoulian
is a traitor to his own people!
He is exploiting the death of our
ancestors with his mediocre career!
Most protestors
here are not Turks who deny the genocide.
They are Armenians, deeply offended by the
premise of this one-night-only play...
the decision of an Armenian woman to
run off with her Turkish oppressor.
Most Armenian women
preferred to die
rather than run off...
with a Turk.
Who's gonna honor them?
I'm sure in the
sequel, he'll show Anne
Frank smooching a Nazi!
Instead
of challenging Turkish denial...
Mamoulian is spitting on the
memory of our martyrs.
Today Simon has turned
his back on his friends, his career...
and his family. Stop this,
Simon, before it's too late.
Sir, threats fatal in nature, we are
obligated to evacuate the building by law.
Now you yourself reported some of
these threats, isn't that correct?
Yes.
You said you were concerned
for your safety.
Did I?
I don't remember anymore.
Sir, I'm going to make this
very, very easy for you.
Do you feel that the threats
were legitimate?
Mr. Laufton?
No.
No?
No. I think they were just
probably typical nut job letters.
I've seen hundreds of them.
Look, we've only got an hour
until curtain.
What I only really want you to do
is to make sure that our ghosts...
can get into the theater safely.
Did I say ghosts?
I meant guests, obviously.
So you'll stay, won't you,
James?
If you're the one asking me,
I will.
Okay!
All right, calm down, calm down. We
got a lot of work to do. The ending.
The ending can happen only once.
That is when 1915 comes to life.
Well, why won't he let us
rehearse it?
We're gonna rehearse it next.
The question is...
are you ready?
Ani's Decision. The scene
that everybody's angry about.
You're going to have
to seduce me.
Oh?
It's not easy to seduce me.
Come, Ani.
Let us escape together.
Nah.
No.
You are so talented, Angela.
Seriously, I think you should be a
star, a real star, a movie star.
And I think I can help you with that. I
know I can get you into my next movie.
Your movie?
Yes. Don't you want people to see
just how passionate you were...
how beautiful you were,
a hundred years from now?
You're smiling.
You're thinking about it.
No. No...
It's not that.
It's just been a long time since
I've thought about the future.
Sometimes I feel like there is
no future, you know what I mean?
It just... it feels like...
the same dark night...
over and over and over again.
Ray, can you get those bodies
closer together, please.
So they look like family?
That's good. Thank you!
Box office is open, Simon.
I still can't get a hold of Tony, though.
He's supposed to be here by now.
Don't worry about Tony. He'll
come back. He always comes back.
The time has come, my darling.
This is no longer an exercise.
Are you ready?
I'm ready.
No!
Seven years, Angela, seven years. You've
been drifting for seven years. It's time.
Come.
It is night, one hour
before the premiere.
You're supposed to be in your
room, but I can't find you.
You're going down the stairs.
Garo is here, too.
Remember Garo?
Try to remember.
He was right here,
in your arms.
You always held him like this.
Until the very last moment.
We were running out of time.
The show was about to begin.
Seven years ago,
this is where our son died.
Remember the lullaby?
Night has fallen over the
Ottoman Turkish empire.
By now, Armenians have been
driven deep into the desert.
They're about to meet
their fate.
It is 1915.
Shhh. Everybody's asleep.
I have to tell you a secret.
What is it?
All of these people, you are all
being marched to your deaths.
That can't be.
It has already been decided.
By the end of summer, there will be no
Armenians left on the face of the earth.
Why are you telling me this?
I want you to leave with me.
I want to escape together.
We don't have time, Ani.
Think about the future.
We are just two people in the
night. Nobody's watching.
Come, Ani. Let us save each
other from our destinies.
My answer... is no.
I can't leave.
I can't leave my family.
What happened, darling?
You have to say yes.
You have to take his hand.
I saw something.
You saw something where?
I saw something there.
There's no... there's nobody
there, darling. Nobody.
Okay, let's go again, huh.
James...
could you be more tender
with her?
Make sure she understands
you really love her.
You want me to convince
her that I really love her.
Yes, I want you to convince her.
Yeah.
Shhh. Everybody's asleep.
I have to tell you a secret.
All of these people, you are all
being marched to your deaths.
Why are you telling me this?
I want you to leave with me.
I want us to escape.
We don't have time, Ani.
Think of the future.
I don't want this, either.
We've been playing the roles
that have been written for us...
but right now, we are just two people
in the night. Nobody is watching.
Let us escape this madness.
I am your freedom, Ani.
That is all that matters.
This is our last chance.
On the other side of this night, there is
only death for you and damnation for me.
Come, Ani, let us save each
other from our destinies.
Take the Colonel's hand, Ani.
That's all you have to do.
No.
Ani, take the man's hand.
No, I'm not going to leave him.
I won't. I won't leave my baby.
Ani... Sa martoon tserke prne,
verchanank.
Chem, chem karogh.
Voch mi hye kin, cher karogh.
Hasgutsah. Ani,
inkn e ku miyag prgutyune!
Hedo grnas tskel iren.
Payts hima heduh bedk e ertas.
No.
Ani, you're gonna die.
The entire Armenian people are going
to die, because of you. Take his hand.
No.
Let go.
Simon, no! No!
No! Chem oozoom! No.
No! This is my decision!
This is my decision!
Hey, wait up!
Angela, please speak to me.
We can work through this.
Just take my hand,
it's not a big deal.
I can never abandon my son,
Colonel.
You understand that?
I can never betray my family.
Hey, Gabriel.
What are you doing here?
What do you mean, buddy?
You don't care about her.
You're just pretending.
You're an actor.
You're scaring me.
Why don't you put the gun down.
Why?
You shouldn't point guns at
people, even if it's not real.
If it's not real,
then why are you scared?
Simon.
The journalist is not writing
the story, Jeffrey.
Journalist, shmournalist.
I'm worried about Angela.
We all are.
Simon.
Hey Simon, you up here?
Hey, listen, man,
I just wanted to...
Hello?
What am I doing wrong?
Why won't Angela take his hand?
Well, I was thinking, not
to violate the terms
of the Geneva Convention
or anything...
maybe, just once, the man can
take the woman's hand.
No... she has to make her own decision.
That's the whole point of 1915.
She's faced the truth. Now
it's time for her to move on.
What if she doesn't?
If she doesn't,
Jeffrey, then she's finished.
She's trapped forever.
Come in.
Oh, James, it's good you came.
I wanted to see you
before you left.
What if I told you
that the play can go on?
That Angela will take my hand.
What if I told you that
she can finally be free?
What are you talking about?
Look at her, Simon. Look
at what you've done to her.
She had to know the truth.
Not everyone needs
the truth the way you do.
People forget all the time.
About people they love,
about people they've lost.
Some even forget about a genocide, because
that's what they need to do to move on.
This is not moving on. You have
to face the truth to move on.
You don't even want her to move on.
You could never forgive her for that.
All you've really wanted
is to suffer together.
For her to share in your pain.
What do you want from me?
I can't change the way you are, Simon.
You will always live in the past.
But Angela, she can still
have a future.
You know I can save her, Simon.
I can take her away
from all of this.
Ahh... the ending.
You can't bear
the sight of it, can you?
But that's the way
the story ends.
With Angela and me together.
That's the way you wrote it.
Tony.
What?
Huh? What you say is not
possible. Tony's gone.
We have nobody to replace him.
He was never supposed
to play the role.
That's why the magic isn't happening.
Angela's decision is false.
Okay, then who? Who's going
to play the husband?
You know who.
It's not just your baby...
it's you Angela has to leave.
Say goodbye to your wife,
Simon.
Gabriel, are you lost?
I know where I am.
I remember my first
opening night.
Why is she sad?
Who?
Your wife, Angela.
I can tell she is sad.
The woman in that room
is not really Angela.
No?
No.
There is magic in this theater.
Real magic.
Can you keep a secret, Gabriel?
Tonight, all of us, on our stage
and in the audience...
we're going back in time.
We're going to a...
strange and dangerous place.
Angela is already there.
Do you want to go there,
Gabriel?
Angela... Angela,
can you hear me?
You're not my husband.
No.
Can you tell me where you are?
Downstairs.
Angela, can you please come
upstairs. I need to talk to you.
I have to stay here...
with my baby.
You have to go now.
No, Angela,
I won't go, I can't.
Why are you smiling?
You keep calling me Angela.
You have the wrong girl.
What did he do to you?
It was nice chatting.
Goodbye.
No, no, Angela, don't go!
Angela, don't go.
Hello, Ani.
I'm coming to get you now.
No, no.
I'm coming down the steps now.
Please, stop.
I can see you now, Ani.
I can see your little boy.
I killed him.
We fell downstairs.
I... I killed him.
It is a new world we are going
to, a world free of pain.
I can save you, Ani...
but you must forget about your son, and
you must forget about your husband.
Trust me, Ani.
I know the way out of here.
I know the way back.
Good evening and welcome
to the Los Angeles Theatre!
Do you believe in magic, sir?
Of course.
Excellent!
Mr. West, places.
Places, everyone!
Places, please.
We're on in five.
Simon, it's time.
'Tis in my memory locked, and you
yourself shall keep the key of it.
Ms. Lillian,
what are you doing?
Lucky... just an old ritual.
The events that inspired this
play were meant to be forgotten.
Many people, for many reasons, still
wish them to remain forgotten.
But of course, the past never
forgets who you are.
It follows you,
like a shadow, to the end.
Ladies and gentiles,
welcome to 1915.
Ani! What happened?
Ani! Ani!
Oh, we're all right.
We just had a little fall.
Oh, my heart nearly cracked!
What was all that noise?
It's nothing, Mom. We were
playing. How is the garden?
Well, it's the weeds again.
They're suffocating the tomatoes.
I can help you, Grandma.
I'll pull out the weeds.
And son, don't forget.
Rip them from their roots.
So they can never grow
again from the soil.
So they can never grow
from the soil again.
Come, Garo...
we are going to have a big harvest
this year, your father has promised.
We're going to have new fruit.
No! No! You have to go!
Restrain your woman, soldier!
No! No!
This is my family! No!
May I remind you, soldier,
that the empire is at war.
But it is not our war!
It's everybody's war now. The
entire world is wearing uniforms.
Isn't that right, soldier?
I said... isn't that right,
soldier?
He's right, mother.
Armenians have to do
their part.
But we've done our part!
We make this empire work.
Our farmers grow your fruit. Our
architects build your palaces...
and yet you hate us.
Maybe we remind you that this
land isn't really yours.
You take our guns,
now you take our men.
What will you
come to take next?
You're out of time, soldier.
Say goodbye to your family.
I will always love you.
Come back. Come back.
I'll come back, I promise.
I'll come back.
We'll pray for you.
There will be no need for that.
I'm afraid where your husband
is going, there is no God.
You can let go now.
Such a lovely song.
I think of Armen
every time I sing it.
Before we were married, he would
whistle it outside my window.
It was our little secret.
I never dared to come out...
but every night,
I would wait to hear that song.
That sweater, is a little small
for Garo, don't you think?
It isn't for Garo.
Keep walking! You
have a long walk ahead of you.
You're the last one, miss.
I just feel I'm
forgetting something.
You'll be back soon.
It's only temporary.
You keep a clean house.
Feels like... home.
Colonel, how will my husband
know where we've gone?
What is your name, pretty one?
Ani.
You don't have to worry, Ani.
You'll be safe.
You're in my hands now.
No, no!
Shhh. Everybody is asleep.
All of these people... you are
all being led to your deaths.
Why are you telling me this?
I want you to leave with me.
I want to escape together.
We don't have time, Ani.
Think of the future.
I don't want this, either.
We have been playing the roles
that have been written for us.
But right now we are just
two people in the night.
No one is watching.
Let us escape this madness.
This is our last chance.
On the other side of this night,
there is only death for you...
and damnation for me.
Let us save each other
from our destinies.
But I can never forgive myself.
You don't have time, Ani.
We are all... out of time.
Goodbye, my darling.
We're the descendants
of those who escaped and survived.
We continue to live,
without a homeland...
in various corners
of the world.
We've been living among you, trying to
forget what happened to our families.
And, of course, we pretend
that we are just like you.
This is our greatest role.
But really, we are nothing more
than actors. We are ghosts.
We've roamed the earth 100
years, unable to cope and rest.
Unable to forget our unfinished
business with history.
1915! Never again!
1915! Never again!
The great Simon Mamoulian!
You suck!... Amot!
Listen to us, howling our pain.
Searching for the meaning
of all this madness.
Don't do this, Simon, please!
Listen to me!
1915! Never again!
Tomorrow, when the
Armenians and the Turks wake up...
they must be free
of their ghosts.
We cannot go on like this, possessed
and deranged by our past!
We must settle our score
with history.
We must face the truth
and... move on.
Move on.