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The Promise

Play trailer Poster for The Promise 1996 1h 34m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Roger (Olivier Gourmet) uses his 15-year-old son, Igor (Jérémie Renier), to help traffic, house and ruthlessly exploit illegal immigrants in Belgium. When African immigrant Amidou (Rasmane Ouedraogo) tumbles from a scaffold, Igor finds him before he dies and promises that he will take care of his wife and baby. Forced by his father to cover up the death, Igor struggles to choose between loyalty to his unsavory parent and keeping the promise that he made to the dying man.
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The Promise

Critics Reviews

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Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle 02/21/2001
4.5/5
A penetrating coming-of-age story, one that argues that adulthood begins with the emergence of moral convictions. Go to Full Review Jeff Millar Houston Chronicle 02/21/2001
The film is entirely within the caught-on-the-run tradition of cinema verite, which makes it all the grittier and its conclusion all the more wrenching. Go to Full Review Stanley Kauffmann The New Republic 02/21/2001
The Dardenne brothers, as shown by their empathic casting, their very choice of theme, have confessed to a burden. They believe in hope. Go to Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills 04/04/2023
[An] unvarnished narrative gut-punch... Go to Full Review Amber Wilkinson Eye for Film 01/13/2013
4/5
The Dardennes' film is unfussy and the revelations small but that is why it is so affecting. Go to Full Review Christopher Long Movie Metropolis 08/21/2012
9/10
(The Dardennes') "first" film has attained a special place in the hearts of critics and other viewers. Its reputation has not been exaggerated in the least. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Leaburn O @RT35452347 09/27/2022 A sad and well acted film about the exploitation of illegal immigrants and about an abusive father. Not sure I'd recommend to anyone as it's just dark but it is well made. See more 07/05/2021 No makeup, no nonsense, no loopholes. Just brutal reality with a good acting and story. See more 03/11/2021 Very gritty, atmospheric and involving, but the ending felt a bit forced. See more nefasto r @Nefasto 01/24/2019 It looks like there is no enough magic powder on this planet to protect us from all the evil around, although sometimes a promise, can do way more. Another thing I cannot have enough apparently is the naturalism / realism of the Dardennes brothers. This is the third film I am watching and the third I liked. Not many left, but there is no stopping me now! See more 07/06/2017 A compassionate and honest work of art about the hard adolescent realization that your parents are simply flawed (sometimes outright immoral) people like everyone else. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne did an impeccable job. This is a film brimming with empathy and humanity. See more 11/12/2014 I've had this film for a very long time. I was uncertain if I had already seen it but I was only confusing it with "L'enfant" I believe. Anyhow, this is a pretty early Dardenne-film, and Jérémie Renier's first full lenght. It's very naturalistic and there are loads of sadness here. Most Dardenne-films tent to feel very alike. They often use the same actors, and they are all pretty short films. The themes change but there are always some of this mentioned sadness and they are also relevant and realistic. Well acted, well developed and it carries some big emotions. Gritty and staight forward, still smart and very intriguing. The Dardenne Brothers are two of my favorite directors and this film is very solid, still not their best effort to date. Upcoming "Deux jours, une nuit" looks very promising as well. 8.5 out of 10 scooters. See more Read all reviews
The Promise

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Cast & Crew

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Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Director

Luc Dardenne

Director

Jérémie Renier

Igor

Olivier Gourmet

Roger

Assita Ouedraogo

Assita

Sophie Leboutte

Actor

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The Promise

The Promise (1996) The Promise (1996) The Promise (1996) The Promise (1996) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Roger (Olivier Gourmet) uses his 15-year-old son, Igor (Jérémie Renier), to help traffic, house and ruthlessly exploit illegal immigrants in Belgium. When African immigrant Amidou (Rasmane Ouedraogo) tumbles from a scaffold, Igor finds him before he dies and promises that he will take care of his wife and baby. Forced by his father to cover up the death, Igor struggles to choose between loyalty to his unsavory parent and keeping the promise that he made to the dying man.
Director
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Producer
Hassen Daldoul, Luc Dardenne
Screenwriter
Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Claude Waringo
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Production Co
Eurimages
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 6, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$454.7K
Runtime
1h 34m
Sound Mix
Surround
Aspect Ratio
35mm, 16mm, Flat (1.66:1)
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