Promises Written in Water (2010)

Promises Written in Water is an extremely stripped down abstract romantic story of a man and a woman, both in crisis. Kevin (Vincent Gallo) is a long-time, professional assassin, ... See full summary »

Director:

Vincent Gallo

Writer:

Vincent Gallo (screenplay)

Stars:

Vincent Gallo, Delfine Bafort, Hope Tomaselli

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Vincent Gallo	...	Kevin
Delfine Bafort	...	Mallory
Hope Tomaselli	...	Dead Girl
Lisa Love	...	Grieving Woman
Sage Stallone	...	The Mafioso
Brenda Epperson	...	Mortician
Livia Treviño	...	Dead Girl's Mother (as Livia Trevino)
Patrick O'Connor	...	Dead Girl's Father
Nathalie Love	...	Waitress

Storyline

Promises Written in Water is an extremely stripped down abstract romantic story of a man and a woman, both in crisis. Kevin (Vincent Gallo) is a long-time, professional assassin, specializing in the termination of life. Mallory (Delfine Bafort) is a wild, poetic, beautiful young woman confronting her terminal illness and eventual suicide. She reaches out to Kevin to take responsibility for her corpse once she passes, requesting his protection of her dead body's dignity until her cremation. Kevin's acceptance of this request causes uncomfortable self-reflection and changes the lens through which he views death.

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Plot Keywords:

written and directed by cast member

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 September 2010 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Funeral Director

Filming Locations:

Altadena, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gray Daisy Films, Vincent Gallo Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vincent Gallo has forever rejected any explanation of the concept, story, process, or rumors surrounding the making of his new film, stating, "None of it would fit easily into tabloid format, and so writers and journalists would be forced into simplistic interpretations to avoid their own shortcomings and the shortcomings of the press in general."

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Soundtracks

"Hello Sadness, Goodbye Love"
Written and performed by Vincent Gallo
Courtesy of Vincent Gallo Music

User Reviews

A Powerful Meditation on Love and Loss

Vincent Gallo's Promises Written in Water defies both convention and categorization. From its beautiful black and white cinematography to its skeletal narrative structure, the film plays like a great novel where rather than spell out every single plot detail, the author (or in this case director) has instead chosen to give the reader (or the viewer) the joy of discovering key elements and using those elements to synthesize storyline on their own.

The film's sparse narrative tells the story of a dying girl and the unlikely man she asks to assist her during this time. It features two very strong acting performances from Vincent Gallo (who also wrote, directed, produced and edited the movie) and newcomer Delfine Bafort.

Watching this movie one can't help but reflect on the current state of experimental, independent, or whatever you name you choose to call non-mainstream filmmaking. You would not be alone if you come to the conclusion that the only filmmaker today who is willing to take the risks associated with living outside the mainstream film world is Vincent Gallo. He is also the only person who possesses the sensibility and the talent to consistently turn out films that resonate on multiple intellectual levels while maintaining a unique cinematic beauty.

Gallo has made another truly original film. And that is something one would be hard pressed to say about any other filmmaker working today.