Against a backdrop of militant attacks sweeping 1980s Europe, this absorbing tale dives headfirst into themes of collective guilt, historical amnesia, and radicalization. Aram, a young man of Armenian descent, grows up in Marseille hearing stories of Turkish brutality and genocide against his people. Although these are the sins of a past generation, Aram’s pitched rage leads him to lash out against a Turkish diplomat in Paris. Fleeing to Beirut to join the Armenian Liberation Army, Aram doesn’t know that his bomb also seriously wounded Gilles, an innocent cyclist who happened to be passing by. When Aram’s mother Anouch learns of her son’s involvement in the bombing, her conscience gets the better of her, and she decides to pay a visit to Gilles in the hospital. Anouch’s shame seems no match for Gilles’ anger and bitterness, yet the encounter inspires Gilles to dig deeper into Armenian history – by way of imposing himself directly on Aram’s family.
