Promise at Dawn

A woman who emigrated from Poland to France is certain her son will become a great man and tells him so every day. He becomes a writer, flies in the war, becomes a diplomat. The film neither praises nor condemns the relationship; the narrative shows her expectation as both the engine and an unbearable weight. The main line is carried by the voice of the writer, ill in Mexico, writing his memoir. Eric Barbier directed, with Pierre Niney and Charlotte Gainsbourg. It is adapted from Romain Gary's own memoir; Gary later became the only writer to win France's foremost literary prize twice, by publishing under another name. Before watching: it runs over two hours and moves through decades quickly, leaving some periods thin.