Based on a Stefan Zweig’s short story, A Promise is a romance with contradiction that will not leave you indifferent.
This is a timeless story of a famous love triangle.
Settled in the early 20th century in Germany, Friederich Zeitz (Richard Madden) personal secretary of Karl Hoffmeister (Alan Rickman) falls in love with his wife, Charlotte Hoffmeister (Rebecca Hall). Forced to leave the country for Mexico for two years, Friederich and Charlotte promised themselves to not stop loving each other despite the miles, the years and her husband.
Although the love triangle is a literary and a cinematography theme that can bore people, the French director Patrice Leconte managed to capture the emotions of each character and convey them to the audience sitting in the room. We watch this film to know the truth behind this love triangle and we come out with a bittersweet feeling.
These are feelings we get because of the way it is shot. It was hard to understand the nature of the takes. At first, I had a feeling of watching a documentary with a bad editing and a lot of ellipses, but in fact, Patrice Leconte seems to have shot from an external perspective. The audience is completely outside of the story but lives it as if they were a part of the love story for a simple reason. When the external viewpoint ends, we see this story from Friederich Zeitz’s point of view.
The performances are restrained and delicate. It is not about actions but feelings, and Alan Rickman’s performance stands out the most. He is the one we linger on, he is the one who is the most mysterious and this is also thanks to him that many things are resolved.
Actors Performance
Directing
Screenplay
Soundtrack
Final Note
Is it #DudeChick certified ?
A beautiful love story with the great Alan Rickman.
