Review of La Promesse (1996) by Mattias E — 21 Sep 2008

The films of the Dardenne brothers tend to follow a simply formula - a lower working class character is faced with a moral dilemma, and they are followed in their everyday, desperate lives until relief is found in an astonishingly beautiful (and cathartic) moment of redemption. And yet, in spite of the superficial similarities between their films, there is nothing standard or formulaic about the suspense, morality, and sense of emotional involvement that is present in every one of their films. Each one somehow manages to be utterly involving and emotionally devastating. They are among the rare filmmakers that can make viewers so completely invested in the moral development of the characters.

This film is no exception to the rule, and is prove once again that the Dardenne brothers are among the greatest, most humanistic and moral filmmakers working today.