La Promesse [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Overview

A 15-year-old Belgian boy must choose between loyalty to his father or telling the truth in this thoughtful drama. The tale is set in Liege, Belgium. Young Igor has two jobs. He works at a small garage, swiping everything he can get away with, and helps his father Roger smuggle in and house illegal immigrants. Among the illegals is Assita from Burkina Fasso. She and her baby have come to be with her husband Amidou. Unfortunately, he is killed when the authorities raid the broken down tenement the immigrants have been hiding. Later, Roger forces Igor to help him secretly bury Amidou. Roger then lies to Assita, telling her that Amidou has gone out of town for awhile. He then launches a personal campaign to convince Assita to return home. As that struggle continues, Igor finds his gnawing conscience increasingly difficult to ignore. Finally rebelling against his silver-tongued father, Igor decides to help Assita himself, realizing all the while, that eventually he must tell her the painful truth.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/14/2012
UPC:	0715515097314
Original Release:	1996
Rating:	NR
Source:	Criterion
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:34:00
Sales rank:	13,704

Special Features

Conversations between film critic Scott Foundas and Filmmakers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne; New Interview piece featuring actors J?r?mie Renier and Olivier Gourmet; Trailer; ; Plus: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Kent Jones

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jeremie Renier	Igor
Olivier Gourmet	Roger
Assita Ouedraogo	Assita,Amidou
Frederic Bodson	Garage Owner
Hachemi Haddad	Nabil
Florian Delain	Riri
Lyazzide Bakouche	Mustapha,Young Arab
Jose Dumst	Seydou
Kevin N'Koko	Seydou
Christiane Mutshimuana	Rosalie
Rifi Kythouka	The Fortune-teller
Sophia Leboutte	Maria
Ljubomir Jakic	Immigrant Interpreter
Caslav Jestratijevic	Yugoslav Immigrant
Darko Pulic	Yugoslav Immigrant
Zoran Klacar	Yugoslav Immigrant
Miroslav Dmitrovic	Yugoslav Immigrant
Thomas Golla	Kurdish Immigrant
Mohamed Bousfia	Gypsy
Rabah Amrani	Ibrahim
Ioan Taranu	Nicolai
Dieudonne Kapeta	African Immigrant
Jean-Paul Dermont	Muller
Faustin Kiala	Muendo
Florin Badea	Rumanian Immigrant
Bogdan Motet	Rumanian Immigrant
Marian Moldovan	Rumanian Immigrant
Valeriu Massalar	Rumanian Immigrant
Bernard Marbaix	Work Inspector
Jean-Michel Balthazar	Work Inspector
Francis D'Ostuni	Mehmet
Nevfel Morsimen	Mehmet's Brother
Jeanine Robiane	Garage Customer
David Echterhoff	Asian Immigrant
Alain Holtgen	Mailman
Suzanne Colin	Policewoman
Cathy Galetic	Hospital Employee
Daniel Hicter	Pedestrian
Norbert Rutili	Jeweller
Jean-Pol Bissieux	Train Station Employee
Willy Moosen	Night Shop Salesperson
Michele Guidee	Singer
Adrienne Renzi	Employee
Emmanuelle Bonmariage	Luna Park Cashier
Philippe Constant	Young Unemployed Man
Pierre Dineur	Young Arab's Client
Sandhu Onkar Singh	Sikh Immigrant
Dominique Hennico	Hospital Nurse
Henri Wierts	Hospital Doctor
Leon Michaux	Policeman
Philippe de Pierpont	Junkie
Jean-Marie Billy	Composer
Denis M'Punga	Composer

Technical Credits

Luc Dardenne

Hassen Daldoul	Producer
Luc Dardenne	Producer,Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Jean-Pierre Duret	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

The moral dilemma in La Promesse -- whether to honor family loyalty or expose wrongdoing by a member of your family -- is made all the more difficult when the person caught in the middle is a teenager who wants nothing more than to drive go-carts and just hang out. Igor (Jeremie Renier) is that boy, and his life is bound up with his hard-working father's schedule, which involves illegal activities (immigrant smuggling) compounded by worker and tenant exploitation. Igor loves his old man, Roger (Olivier Gourmet), even if the guy can get a little testy and violent at times. There's a lovely scene in which they go to a bar, Igor at first sulking about some disagreement, but sliding into a haze of affection fueled by alcohol (on Roger's part) and communal singing. It's only when Igor agrees to honor a promise asked by a dying man that he's forced to see Roger's activities for what they are. Brother filmmakers Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne skillfully pull us into this world, filming with a handheld camera in available light, to reflect Igor's growing sense of dislocation and the shadowy world in which he and Roger live. Renier, with his thatch of blonde hair that's almost white, and Gourmet, burly and alternately menacing and affectionate, play off each other well, creating a complex father-son relationship rarely seen in recent films.