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The Son of the Olive Merchant cover image

The Son of the Olive Merchant 2012

Highly Recommended

Distributed by epf media, 324 S. Beverly Drive, PMB 437, Beverly Hills, CA 90212; 310-839-1500
Produced by Z Films, Kode Agency and Herodiade Films Production
Directed by Mathieu Zeitindjioglou
DVD , color, 76 min.



Jr. High - General Adult
Human Rights, Activism, Armenians, Genocide, Turkey, Religious Freedom, Revisionism, Religious Studies

Date Entered: 02/18/2013

Reviewed by Malcolm L. Rigsby, Department of Sociology and Human Services, Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas

The film begins with an intriguing story of the son of the olive merchant.

This is a unique film that follows a young couple, Anna and Mathieu, on their honeymoon to Mathieu’s ancestral homeland of Turkey. This honeymoon, however, has a second purpose. We learn that it is Anna who wishes to travel to Turkey in order to learn more about Mathieu’s heritage. Mathieu is French and of Armenian heritage. In the process of exploring this homecoming, the couple learn about the Armenian Genocide of 1915 which is officially denied by the Turkish authorities.

The film proposes that the Turkish government sponsors a denial of the Armenian genocide. It is explained to Anna and Mathieu that while they may inquire about Mathieu’s heritage it is best not to refer to the word “genocide”. The film uses a combination of news feeds, official reports, personal footage between Mathieu and Anna, discussions with Turkish citizens, and animation to deliver their thoughts and conclusions about their findings.

An old adage is that “he who wins the war writes the history”. Sometimes history is recorded with greater accuracy and sometimes it is not. Watch this film and make your own determination; is the Turkish portrayal reality or revisionism?

One thing that was problematic was that the DVD I reviewed skipped and froze up twice while viewing it. I tried it on another player with the same problems. I was unable to view the last 10 minutes. I hope that this was only a bad DVD, however given this experience I must make the notation.