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The Promise
The Promise
8.2
/10
1,985 Ratings

THE PROMISE

La promesse

Directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Belgium, 1996
Drama

Synopsis

Igor, aged 15, and his father Roger deal in housing and peddling illicit labor in the outlying districts of Liege, Belgium. When one of his father’s illegal workers gets injured on the job and asks Igor to promise to take care of his wife and baby, Igor finds himself at a crossroad.

Synopsis

Igor, aged 15, and his father Roger deal in housing and peddling illicit labor in the outlying districts of Liege, Belgium. When one of his father’s illegal workers gets injured on the job and asks Igor to promise to take care of his wife and baby, Igor finds himself at a crossroad.

Our take

The film that brought the Dardenne brothers to international attention, La Promesse is a riveting account of a young man’s bid to keep his titular promise. Incisively attuned to the details of its socio-economic milieu, this heartbreaking morality tale is a work of searing, unflinching honesty.