La promesse

Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Belgium - 1996
Spoken in French
90 min

Sinopsis

“From the moment we encountered it, ‘La Promesse’ stood out for its rare force and simplicity. Its gaze, at once intimate and unsparing, follows Igor as he moves between filial loyalty and the dawning weight of moral responsibility, within a world where survival is bartered in silence. For many of us, this was a revelation: a film that feels both profoundly human and formally daring. Its themes —migration, responsibility, solidarity— are as urgent now as ever, and we believe ‘La Promesse’ will speak powerfully to young viewers.”

Igor is a teenager who works with his father exploiting a network of undocumented immigrant workers — an illegal and unethical job. A tragic accident will force Igor to confront his father, question the values he has held until then, make his own decisions, and find his own path. It is a realistic story with a strong ethical and political component, tackling harsh subjects such as illegal immigration and human misery. A social drama that will leave no one indifferent.