Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne may be compared to the Coen brothers (“Miller's Crossing”, “Barton Fink”, etc...) insofar as they work in total symbiosis. Yet as "engaged" film-makers, these young cineastes are more in the vein of Ken Loach than Mathieu Kassovitz. "Hate" opened up a whole new genre in French cinema. The less didactic "La Promesse", however, is much more credible. Like Loach, the Dardenne brothers don't judge, they simply present a slice of life. The torment of this microcosm on the fringes of society - the theme is that of a young delinquent (Igor) who has to choose between his "bastard" of a father (remarkably played by Olivier Gourmet) who killed a black, and his conscience - never tends towards either excessive anger or sentimentality. The young Jérémie Renier and Assista Ouédraogo give extraordinary performances, which, given their relative inexperience, is no doubt thanks to the Dardenne brothers who with this film have become "majors" of Francophone cinema.

Edward Behr, journalist and writer