The Canon / Parallax Editorial Archive
Curated by Pedro Neves, Founder of Parallax
The Promise
La Promesse
Directed by Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
1996•1h 33m•NR•★ 7.5
Drama
Synopsis
A 15-year-old Belgian boy assists his corrupt, predatory father in trafficking undocumented African immigrants into squalid tenement labor, but when an undocumented worker falls to his death from scaffolding, the dying man extracts a promise from the boy to protect his wife and infant son. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's breakthrough humanist masterpiece of moral conscience that established their signature handheld naturalism.
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The Promise
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Director Spotlight
Cinematic Profile
Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
Editorial Context
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Cast & Crew
DirectorJean-Pierre DardenneLuc Dardenne
WriterLuc DardenneJean-Pierre DardenneLeon MichauxAlphonse Badolo
MusicJean-Marie BillyDenis Mpunga
Principal Cast
Jérémie RenierIgor
Olivier GourmetRoger
Florian DelainRiri
Rasmané OuédraogoAmidou
Jean-Michel BalthazarThe Labour Inspector
Frédéric BodsonThe Garage Boss
AO
Assita OuedraogoAssitaHH
Hachemi HaddadNabilTechnical Specifications
Runtime1h 33m (93 mins)
Catalogued Editions
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Collector Status
Not Yet Collected
Production Details
DirectorJean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
LanguagesFrench
CountryBE, FR, LU
StudioLes Films du Fleuve • Touza Productions
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