La Promesse (1996) directed by The Dardenne Brothers
The father-son relationship in
La Promesse was my favorite aspect of the film. There's undeniable love between the two, and the scene in the karaoke bar perfectly communicates that. However, on normal bases, the father can become too occupied by his own selfishness to actually father his son. We see him correct the young kid whenever he calls him "papa", almost implying that he doesn't want to be reminded of what his true role is supposed to be. Instead, he'd rather remain in this escapist fantasy of being in a gang-like relationship with his kid, which I'm sure is very convenient and comfortable for him. We have instances of the dad punishing or beating the son, and a few seconds later he's reeling him back in by either turning the situation into a laugh with a "shit happens"-like attitude, or by buying his forgiveness through gifts and money. It's clear he fears he might lose the kid if he once goes too far, but does he actually fear losing his son, or does he fear losing his gang buddy? Does his damage control come from love or manipulation?
The son loves his dad obviously. He looks up to him, tries to follow in his footsteps, only it's quite the corrupt path. It's even more interesting when he escapes with Assita, and attempts to juggle between remaining loyal and trying to do the right thing. The scene with him suddenly going for her hug is a great representation and release of all of that guilt that had been building up inside of him up to that point. It seems as though through it he's letting out all of the secrets, emotions, and the unsaid, without actually spilling a thing. His final stand off with his dad stands out as the emotional climax of the film. There was even a gulp in my throat throughout it, because it demonstrated an intense clash of emotions as it finally sinks in to the boy the manipulative strings he'd been under his whole life. The ending is great. Nothing more needs to be said after those last lines.
The simplicity and confidence behind the film-making and storytelling in
La Promesse, merge together to deliver what I feel is what Cinema was born to achieve and reach. It's not completely documentarian where it would literally show everything exactly as it happened, but cutting around moments such as Amidou's fall, the father learning about his son's actions behind his back, etc...is a great aesthetic that adds to the experience without even realizing it. The only part I'm going to criticize would be Amidou's final words. It seems as though he was ready to spill them out as soon as his body hit the floor. It happens way too fast, and with a cliché like that, you have to handle it more carefully in order to portray it with authenticity, otherwise it just won't work, especially considering that this particular scene is what initiates the driving force of the conflict. The only thing that's left to say would be that I loved Igor's reaction to Assita telling him that her husband is close by after inspecting a chicken's intestines. Huuuuuuuh!? Exactly my thoughts buddy!
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