La Promesse

La Promesse (lit. '"The Promise"') is a 1996 drama film written and directed by the Belgian brothers Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, starring Jérémie Renier and Olivier Gourmet. The film had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section parallel to the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.[4] The film was shot in chronological order.[5][6]

La Promesse
Film poster
Directed byJean-Pierre Dardenne
Luc Dardenne
Written byJean-Pierre Dardenne
Luc Dardenne
StarringJérémie Renier
Olivier Gourmet
Assita Ouedraogo
CinematographyAlain Marcoen
Edited byMarie-Hélène Dozo
Music byJean-Marie Billy
Denis M'Punga
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Cinélibre (Belgium)[1]
  • ARP Sélection (France)[1]
Release dates
  • May 1996 (1996-05) (Cannes)
  • 9 October 1996 (1996-10-09) (Belgium)[2]
  • 16 October 1996 (1996-10-16) (France)[1]
Running time
90 minutes[1]
Countries
LanguageFrench
Budget€1.5 million[3]
Box office$2.8 million[3]

Plot

The plot involves a father, Roger, who mercilessly trafficks and exploits undocumented immigrants. His son, Igor, is fifteen and an apprentice mechanic, who also works for his father in his labor contracting operation. When one of their illegal workers is seriously injured at the worksite, left to die, and the death concealed by Roger and Igor, a guilt-ridden Igor must choose between his father's chosen way of life and his promise to the dying man.[7]

Cast

Critical response

La Promesse received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 95% approval rating, based on 22 reviews, with an average score of 7.8/10.[8] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 82, based on 17 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[9]

Awards and nominations

References
  1. "The Promise de Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne". Unifrance. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  2. "The Promise". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  3. "La Promesse". JP's Box-Office. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  4. Turan, Kenneth (30 May 1997). "Moral Rebellion at Heart of 'La Promesse'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  5. Talbot, Margaret (31 December 2012). "The Best in Old Movies". The New Yorker.
  6. "Why Do The Dardennes Shoot Their Films (Including "Two Days, One Night") Sequentially?". The Take. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  7. "TCM Film Article: La Promesse". Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  8. "La Promesse (The Promise) (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  9. "La Promesse (The Promise)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  10. www.adam-makes-websites.com, Adam Jones-. "Awards for 1997 - LAFCA". www.lafca.net. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
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