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 by | Jean-Pierre Dardenne Luc Dardenne |
| Written by | Jean-Pierre Dardenne Luc Dardenne Léon Michaux Alphonse Badolo |
| Starring | Jérémie Renier Olivier Gourmet Assita Ouedraogo |
| Cinematography | Alain Marcoen |
| Edited by | Marie-Hélène Dozo |
| Music by | Jean-Marie Billy Denis M'Punga |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | |
Release dates | |
Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
| Countries | |
| Language | French |
| Budget | €1.5 million[3] |
| Box office | $2.8 million[3] |
Plot
editThe 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
edit- Jérémie Renier as Igor
- Olivier Gourmet as Roger
- Assita Ouedraogo as Assita
Critical response
editLa 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
edit- Belgian Film Critics Association (Belgium)
- Won: André Cavens Award for Best Film
- Nominated: Grand Prix
- César Awards (France)
- Nominated: Best Foreign Film
- Los Angeles Film Critics (USA)[10]
- Nominated: Best Foreign Film
- National Society of Film Critics (USA)
- Online Film Critics Society Awards (USA)
- Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film
- Satellite Awards (USA)
- Nominated: Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
- Valladolid Film Festival (Spain)
- Won: FIPRESCI Prize (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
- Won: Golden Spike (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "The Promise de Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne". Unifrance. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "The Promise". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ a b "La Promesse". JP's Box-Office. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Talbot, Margaret (31 December 2012). "The Best in Old Movies". The New Yorker.
- ^ "Why Do The Dardennes Shoot Their Films (Including "Two Days, One Night") Sequentially?". The Take. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "TCM Film Article: La Promesse". Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ "La Promesse (The Promise) (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "La Promesse (The Promise)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ www.adam-makes-websites.com, Adam Jones-. "Awards for 1997 - LAFCA". www.lafca.net. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
External links
edit- La Promesse at IMDb
- La Promesse at Rotten Tomatoes
- La Promesse at dardenne-brothers.com
- La promesse: One Plus One an essay by Kent Jones at the Criterion Collection
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