Although Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne had made two narrative features previously (Falsch, 1987, and Je pense à vous, 1992), it was 1996's La Promesse (The Promise) in which they found their cinematic footing, establishing a directorial approach that would serve as a basis for their subsequent films.

". . . After Je pense à vous, the world of Belgian cinema was whispering that they had assisted in our suicide. So we decided that they had all become our enemies, and having enemies is very important to start to work. So we worked on the script, and we told ourselves a few things: that we would not work with well-known actors; we would work in locations chosen only by ourselves; the crew around us would only be friends and people chosen by us; and we would organise every aspect of the shoot ourselves. And most of all, we would have the least possible amount of technology, of technical mediation . . . What we came to realise was that it was more important to use the time to work with actors and their bodies . . . that in order to film what you want to show on a face or a body, you first have to decide what you want to hide. So with these rules, we went on."
- Luc Dardenne (link)

La Promesse is a film about a son, Igor, and the choice he must make - obedience to his father or his promise to a dying man.


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