La Promesse

1996 1h 34m FR

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 188

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Igor, aged 15, and his father Roger deal in housing and peddling illicit labor in the outlying districts of Liege, Belgium. Scams, lies and swindling rule their lives. 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. He wants to keep the promise, but the price would be to betray his father.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Jérémie Renier
Igor
Olivier Gourmet
Roger
Assita Ouedraogo
Assita
Florian Delain
Riri
Hachemi Haddad
Nabil
Rasmané Ouédraogo
Amidou
Jean-Michel Balthazar
The Labour Inspector
Frédéric Bodson
The Garage Boss

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Writers: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Alphonse Badolo
Languages: French, Romanian
Countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, Tunisia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Romanian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, Tunisia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marie-Hélène Dozo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Jérémie Renier and Olivier Gourmet and Assita Ouedraogo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0117398 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jean-Pierre Dardenne directs. Marie-Hélène Dozo cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Belgium, Luxembourg, Tunisia. Dialogue in French, Romanian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

130 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Romanian.
3International production across 3 countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, Tunisia.
4Editor Marie-Hélène Dozo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Jérémie Renier and Olivier Gourmet and Assita Ouedraogo carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0117398 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.