Review of La Promesse (1996) by Eric F — 28 Jan 2009
Best described as the 90's Belgian version of "Chop Shop", "La Promesse" is the age old story of a young boy becoming a man. The film follows 15 year old Igor and his father Roger as they run an illegal immigrants hostel.
Their daily life of scheming and peddling take a huge turn as one of their residents suddenly dies in an accident. The young Igor is the last to see the resident die, and takes the dying man's request of helping out his family.
"La Promesse" is a crushing film that details the difficult decisions that Igor has to make as the dying man's family runs into a pile of trouble. The film runs at a break-neck pace and really catches the intensity of the drama well with it's almost documentary-like feel.
Despite the fast-pace feel of the film, the shots are breathtakingly effective. "La Promesse" is not a very well-known film, but it certainly is one of the best foreign films of the 90's.
Definitely worth a watch.
This review of La Promesse (1996) was written by Eric F on 28 Jan 2009.
La Promesse has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
