513:"I hate that no one can see this film. I swear I have not included it to show off. Every scene in the film is invention. Never seen a better shot of a man pacing a room. Gallo’s face is its richest. Gray and full of stories. It contains a scene in a café where he repeats his lines over and over until he gets them right. The most simple fantasy of a person who knows he can never truly express himself as he wants to. It’s painful and playful as no one has the nerve to be. Humiliating and human in a way we are not allowed to be, especially on a screen. Still?"
215:"Kevin is a long-time, professional assassin, specializing in the termination of life. Mallory 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."
401:"The documentary language of this fiction film splits the audience into two: At the official screening they clapped for five minutes – but at the press screening they started laughing and booing from the start, where Gallo is credited as director and editor, and for the script, music, production and acting. They were noisy throughout the screening, laughter returned, a mob dominated the audience."
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awarded the film 2/5 stars, opining, "It's only 74 minutes but it feels like forever...But it cannot by rights be regarded as a failure, or even as a joke, because one never has the sense that Gallo has lost control of his material...There is no telling just where it will go, or what it will do next.
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Gallo, who helped self-financed the finished film, described the film's budget as "a few hundred thousand dollars". Gallo has explained that his goal of the film was "to make choices as if this was the first movie ever made and not to buy into the story of what cinema should be. This means making the
274:, had signed on to star in the film in 2007. It was to be directed by indie filmmaker Pete Red Sky, who only possessed one other film credit to his name. Before filming, Lohman left the film's production, and Gallo was given a producer credit. Through Gallo's help, the film's cast was filled out with
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wrote that the film "is an incomprehensible, disappointing effort in which he (Gallo) receives producing, directing, writing, editing, music and acting credits, so there really is no one else to blame if this story about a man who broods on love and death disappears into the waves almost immediately
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After filming begun, Sky was reportedly a passive and inexperienced director, frustrating Gallo. Halfway through production, Gallo called for a meeting with the film's producers and director and presented an ultimatum: threatening to walk unless he was made director. The group agreed and made Gallo
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The film has never been screened since the two festivals in 2010, and is now unavailable for the public to watch, per Gallo's wishes. In a 2011 interview, Gallo said the film would be "allowed to rest in peace, and stored without being exposed to the dark energies from the public." However, in an
29:
307:"I show up on the set and it's ridiculous and I can't take it anymore, and as much as it hurts, I said to Mr Red Sky...I'm so sorry man...You don't know what you're doing. You don't know anything about filmmaking...I wrote him a cheque for $ 50,000 and moved on."
449:
awarded the film a 'C' rating, writing, "Shooting in gorgeous, low-contrast 16mm B&W, Gallo conducts various experiments in form...The majority of fragments have the feel of a sophisticated but derivative thesis project."
422:
called the film "underwhelming" and "a disappointment". Felperin also argued that the film would disappoint both Gallo's fans, who expected a better film, as well as his detractors, who would prove unable to dismiss the film.
206:
After just two festival screenings, the film became unavailable for the general public to watch, per Gallo's wishes. Since 2010, the film has never been screened or made available to watch for the general public.
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328:. The film had two showings, which occurred on September 7 and September 8, 2010. It was one of three films featuring Gallo to premiere at the festival, alongside Gallo's short film
199:(2010). The film received polarized and mostly negative critical reviews; though a minority of positive reviews called it one of the year's best films. It was nominated for the
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director, giving him control over the project. Sky, no longer director, "was left with little to do but follow Gallo around on set." Under Gallo, the film was re-titled
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Lie also wrote that that Gallo's film "saved the festival for me. This eccentric man, known for his roles in several movies, brought to mind works by
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The film was not distributed and received generally poor reviews from critics, while audience reception leaned more positive. Stephanie
Zacharek of
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1016:"Sean Price Williams on His '1000 Movies' Book, Vincent Gallo, and Missing '90s Classics Due to 'Pretentious Young Man Sh*t'"
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reported that at the Venice premiere, the film concluded with both clapping and booing from the audience. Truls Lie of
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In the straitjacketed world of narrative film-making, that has to count for something." Scott Tobias of
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In 2024, Williams praised the film again, saying that "it’s a movie that’s always in my head".
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630:"Vincent Gallo: The Context of Gallo - Metropia & Promises Written in Water"
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is without a doubt the most experimental feature film I’ve seen at this year’s
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message from 2020, Gallo told an inquiring fan that "I may show it one day."
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Film critic
Michael Sicinski gave the film a positive review, writing that "
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reported that the film had originally begun as an indie production, titled
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606:"EXCLUSIVE: How Vincent Gallo Staged a Coup on the Set of His Next Film"
343:(2010). Gallo shunned all publicity at Venice, and arrived dressed in a
324:, premiering In Competition, alongside 21 other films competing for the
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658:"The gall of Gallo: 'Talking to the press is sort of beneath me now'"
582:"Vincent Gallo Doesn't Plan On Releasing 'Promises Written In Water'"
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483:, and added that the film contained a "raucous dance number (set to
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The third feature film to be directed by Gallo, it premiered at the
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called it the sixth greatest film of the past ten years, writing:
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638:. No. 69. December 2009 – January 2010. Archived from
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film on the hoof, without much in the way of preparation."
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Collett-White, Mike; Aloisi, Silvia (12 September 2010).
721:"Venezia 67: PROMISES WRITTEN IN WATER - VINCENT GALLO"
744:"Favoritism charges follow Tarantino Venice awards"
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270:. According to Buchanan, Gallo, alongside actress
920:Tobias, Scott; Murray, Noel (15 September 2010).
942:"Michael Sicinski - The Criterion Collection"
651:
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765:"R.I.P. 'Promises,' It Was Nice Knowing You"
347:. He refused to hold a press conference for
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351:, and did not take the stage to accept his
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968:"2010 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL"
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880:"Promises Written in Water — Film Review"
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322:67th Venice International Film Festival
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701:"Venice Announces Competition Line-Up"
491:")" and "a beautiful nude portrait of
355:, which he won for his performance in
857:Felperin, Leslie (6 September 2010).
7:
966:Sicinski, Michael (September 2010).
656:Macnab, Geoffrey (15 October 2009).
367:Toronto International Film Festival
878:Young, Deborah (14 October 2010).
580:Jagernauth, Kevin (29 July 2011).
178:. The film stars Gallo, alongside
14:
793:. 14 October 2020. Archived from
467:." Sicinski compared the film to
186:, Lisa Love, and Hope Tomaselli.
899:Brooks, Xan (7 September 2010).
604:Buchanan, Kyle (15 April 2010).
260:In April 2010, Kyle Buchanan of
1092:Films directed by Vincent Gallo
836:Lie, Truls (15 December 2010).
1097:American black-and-white films
1067:Official Vincent Gallo website
1014:Lattanzio, Ryan (7 May 2024).
838:"Mostra 2010: Death in Venice"
684:. 29 July 2010. Archived from
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433:after its festival outings."
1117:English-language drama films
1107:2010s English-language films
993:"10/10: Sean Price Williams"
901:"Promises Written in Water"
859:"Promises Written in Water"
763:Lim, Dennis (8 June 2012).
699:Adler, Tim (29 July 2010).
245:Hope Tomaselli as Dead Girl
242:Lisa Love as Grieving Woman
193:, alongside his short film
115:September 7, 2010
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1047:Promises Written in Water
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320:The film released at the
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164:Promises Written in Water
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22:Promises Written in Water
353:Volpi Cup for Best Actor
369:on September 15, 2010.
365:was later shown at the
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885:The Hollywood Reporter
727:. 2010. Archived from
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429:The Hollywood Reporter
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822:on 11 September 2010.
808:Zacharek, Stephanie.
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500:Geography of the Body
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297:In an interview with
1112:2010s American films
1102:American drama films
548:Venice Film Festival
461:, and that includes
268:The Funeral Director
191:Venice Film Festival
1062:Vincent Gallo Films
843:Modern Times Review
507:Sean Price Williams
416:Leslie Felperin of
394:Modern Times Review
336:Jerzy Skolimowski's
334:(2010), as well as
85:Masanobu Takayanagi
688:on 31 August 2010.
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922:"TIFF '10: Day 6"
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1076:Categories
564:References
557:Nominated
411:Cassavetes
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256:Production
233:as Mallory
172:drama film
167:is a 2010
140:75 minutes
119:2010-09-07
49:Written by
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1020:IndieWire
815:Movieline
611:Movieline
587:IndieWire
534:Category
388:Movieline
381:Reception
375:Instagram
345:balaclava
331:The Agent
263:Movieline
196:The Agent
91:Edited by
706:Deadline
459:festival
455:Promises
227:as Kevin
211:Synopsis
153:Language
99:Music by
57:Starring
1041:website
864:Variety
790:Twitter
749:Reuters
537:Result
419:Variety
316:Release
156:English
145:Country
117: (
977:15 May
951:15 May
531:Award
493:Bafort
471:films
407:Warhol
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125:Venice
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521:Award
489:Quoth
1052:IMDb
979:2023
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477:and
474:Kiss
409:and
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