Overview
When Alexander and Laura meet during a party what they feel for each other is obvious, but she’s about to get married and Alexander shares a daughter with his beautiful wife. Thanks in part to the support of his lifelong friends, Alexander's childhood memories constantly resurface, leading him to reflect on what was, what will be, and what could have been.
I’ve seen bits and pieces of the themes in this movie in other movies – High Fidelity and Shop Girl are two that come to mind. While I suppose that this movie can be appreciated on a lot of levels, I don’t know if you can truly see its genius if you are not of a certain age, or maybe more importantly, filled with some of the same life experiences as the main character. After all, that is what this movie is about – the experiences one has, and the experiences that one misses out on. But at no point is there any melancholy about what has happened or hasn’t happened. Maybe the occasional bit of wistfulness, but nothing more, since hope seems to always be right around the bend. If you don’t “get” the movie, you might consider yourself lucky.
I could go on and on about the different themes that spoke to me, but I’ll instead mention a device that was used. The movie makes frequent use of flashbacks to tell the story. As we find out at the beginning of the movie, time is not linear. Similarly, the “flashbacks” aren’t really flashbacks in the traditional sense. As I grow older, I find myself having my current life linked to events of my youth. In the movie, the central story line is peppered with these kind of glimmers, and they serve to bring a glorious texture to the film. This one will stay with me for days.
IHATEBadMovies.com reviews Promises
Movie title: Promises
Movie description: When Alexander and Laura meet during a party what they feel for each other is obvious, but she’s about to get married and Alexander shares a daughter with his beautiful wife. Thanks in part to the support of his lifelong friends, Alexander's childhood memories constantly resurface, leading him to reflect on what was, what will be, and what could have been.
Date published: 2024-11-19
Director(s): Amanda Sthers
Actor(s): Pierfrancesco Favino, Kelly Reilly, Jean Reno, Ginnie Watson, Cara Theobold, Deepak Verma, Kris Marshall, Gaia Scodellaro, Marie Mouté, Freddy Drabble, Giulio Maria Corso, Giulia Gabriele, Mary Louise Gray, Franca Abategiovanni, Alice Maselli, Natascia Perna, Yvonne Sciò, Alessandro Riceci, William Crossley, Douglas Dean, Michael Fitzpatrick, Gabriele Forte, Ethan Hunsinger, Marco Iannone, Bruce McGuire, Francis Pardeilhan, Nick Rea, Marco Ar Carboni, Léon Hesby
Genre: Drama
My Review
I’ve seen bits and pieces of the themes in this movie in other movies – High Fidelity and Shop Girl are two that come to mind. While I suppose that this movie can be appreciated on a lot of levels, I don’t know if you can truly see its genius if you are not of a certain age, or maybe more importantly, filled with some of the same life experiences as the main character. After all, that is what this movie is about – the experiences one has, and the experiences that one misses out on. But at no point is there any melancholy about what has happened or hasn’t happened. Maybe the occasional bit of wistfulness, but nothing more, since hope seems to always be right around the bend. If you don’t “get” the movie, you might consider yourself lucky.
I could go on and on about the different themes that spoke to me, but I’ll instead mention a device that was used. The movie makes frequent use of flashbacks to tell the story. As we find out at the beginning of the movie, time is not linear. Similarly, the “flashbacks” aren’t really flashbacks in the traditional sense. As I grow older, I find myself having my current life linked to events of my youth. In the movie, the central story line is peppered with these kind of glimmers, and they serve to bring a glorious texture to the film. This one will stay with me for days.
-
My Review - 9/10
9/10