La Promesse

Belgium   Dardenne Brothers

Their third film; the one that captured the minds and hearts of the international film community. We follow a 15 yo boy whose father exploits illegal immigrants and has trained the boy well. We first meet him stealing money from an old woman. A worker for his father falls from a scaffold and is killed; Igor promises to take care of his wife and child...hence the title.

The story is a boy struggling to find his moral compass in the face of his father's violent wrath. Done like a doc, the film has a raw immediacy that pierces us, forces us to think hard about choices, right & wrong, the role of parenting, morality.

Splendidly acted by Olivier Gourmet and Jeremy Renier this became an instant classic, much beloved by fans like me.

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