La Promesse (lit. '"The Promise"') is a 1996 drama film written and directed by the Belgian brothers Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, starring Jérémie Renier and Olivier Gourmet. The film had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section parallel to the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. The film was shot in chronological order.

Plot

The plot involves a father, Roger, who mercilessly trafficks and exploits undocumented immigrants. His son, Igor, is fifteen and an apprentice mechanic, who also works for his father in his labor contracting operation. When one of their illegal workers is seriously injured at the worksite, left to die, and the death concealed by Roger and Igor, a guilt-ridden Igor must choose between his father's chosen way of life and his promise to the dying man.

Cast

Critical response

La Promesse received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 95% approval rating, based on 22 reviews, with an average score of 7.8/10. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 82, based on 17 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Awards and nominations