Ararat

A contemporary story of two estranged families and their search for reconciliation and truth. It is also a historical reenactment (a film within a film) being made by a famous Armenian director, Edward Saroyan (Aznavour), whose production is based on Clarence Ussher's actual book An American Physician in Turkey, which depicts the Siege of Van, and the tragic events of 1915.

Eighteen-year-old Raffi (Alpay) returns to Canada with cans of 35mm film, digital tapes and a mystery. He is sent to Customs for inspection where David (Plummer), an official on the eve of his retirement, is determined to discover what Raffi is concealing. According to Raffi, the canisters contain "additional" material for a film being shot in Toronto. David suspects otherwise and his questioning leads to an intense psychological examination.

David is coming to terms with his gay son Philip (Carver) and Philip's lover, Ali (Koteas) while trying to build a solid relationship with his grandson, Tony. When Ali, an actor, is cast in Saroyan's film, the paths of these two families become inextricably linked, culminating in David's intense interrogation of Raffi's mysterious cargo. What begins as a search for clues becomes a quest for truth across a vast and ancient terrain of lies, deception, denial, fact and fears.