{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film | name = Promises Written in Water | image = File:Promises Written in Water.jpg | caption = Official poster | director = Vincent Gallo | writer = Vincent Gallo | producer = Vincent Gallo | starring = {{unbulleted list|Vincent Gallo|Delfine Bafort|Sage Stallone}} | cinematography = Masanobu Takayanagi | editing = Vincent Gallo | music = Vincent Gallo | country = United States | language = English | released = {{Film date|2010|9|7|Venice}} | runtime = 75 minutes | budget = | gross = }} '''''Promises Written in Water''''' is a 2010 experimental drama film written, directed, edited, and produced by Vincent Gallo. The film stars Gallo, alongside Delfine Bafort, Sage Stallone, Lisa Love, and Hope Tomaselli.

The third feature film to be directed by Gallo, it premiered at the Venice Film Festival, alongside his short film ''The Agent'' (2010). It was nominated for the Golden Lion.

After just two festival screenings, the film became unavailable for the general public to watch, per Gallo's wishes.

==Synopsis== "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."<ref name="IndieWire">{{cite news|last=Jagernauth|first=Kevin|title=Vincent Gallo Doesn't Plan On Releasing 'Promises Written In Water'|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2011/07/vincent-gallo-doesnt-plan-on-releasing-promises-written-in-water-117190/|work=IndieWire|date=29 July 2011}}</ref>

==Cast== * Vincent Gallo as Kevin * Delfine Bafort as Mallory * Sage Stallone as The Mafioso * Lisa Love as Grieving Woman * Hope Tomaselli as Dead Girl * Brenda Epperson as Mortician

==Production== In April 2010, Kyle Buchanan of ''Movieline'' reported that the film had originally begun as an indie production, titled ''The Funeral Director''. According to Buchanan, Gallo, alongside actress Alison Lohman, 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 Sage Stallone, Delfine Bafort, and Esther de Jong.<ref name="Movieline">{{cite news|last=Buchanan|first=Kyle|title=EXCLUSIVE: How Vincent Gallo Staged a Coup on the Set of His Next Film|url=http://www.movieline.com/2010/04/exclusive-how-vincent-gallo-staged-a-coup-on-the-set-of-his-next-film.php/|work=Movieline|date=15 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203161755/http://www.movieline.com/2010/04/exclusive-how-vincent-gallo-staged-a-coup-on-the-set-of-his-next-film.php/ |archive-date=2011-12-03 }}</ref>

After filming began, 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 director, giving him control over the project. Sky, no longer director, "was left with little to do but follow Gallo around on set."<ref name="Movieline"/> Under Gallo, the film was re-titled ''Promises Written in Water''.

In an interview with ''Lodown Magazine'', Gallo confirmed that he had taken control of the film from Sky, stating:

<blockquote>"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."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Vincent Gallo: The Context of Gallo - Metropia & Promises Written in Water|magazine=Lodown Magazine|issue=69|date=December 2009 – January 2010|url=https://imgur.com/a/Ouv2Zsy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531174859/https://imgur.com/a/Ouv2Zsy |archive-date=2023-05-31 }}</ref></blockquote>

Gallo, who helped self-finance the finished film, described the film's budget as "a few hundred thousand dollars".<ref name="Independent">{{cite news|last=Macnab|first=Geoffrey|title=The gall of Gallo: 'Talking to the press is sort of beneath me now'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-gall-of-gallo-talking-to-the-press-is-sort-of-beneath-me-now-1802719.html|work=The Independent|date=15 October 2009}}</ref> 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 film on the hoof, without much in the way of preparation."<ref name="Independent"/>

==Release== The film released at the 67th Venice International Film Festival,<ref name="venezia67">{{cite web|url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/festival/lineup/off-sel/venezia67/ |title=Venezia 67|work=labiennale.org|date=29 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831184421/https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/festival/lineup/off-sel/venezia67|archive-date=31 August 2010}}</ref> premiering In Competition, alongside 21 other films competing for the Golden Lion.<ref>{{cite news|last=Adler|first=Tim|title=Venice Announces Competition Line-Up|url=https://deadline.com/2010/07/venice-announces-competition-line-up-57880/|work=Deadline|date=29 July 2010}}</ref> The film had two showings, which occurred on September 7 and September 8, 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Venezia 67: PROMISES WRITTEN IN WATER - VINCENT GALLO|url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/festival/lineup/off-sel/venezia67/promises.html|work=labiennale.org|date=2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101200303/http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/festival/lineup/off-sel/venezia67/promises.html |archive-date=2010-11-01 }}</ref> It was one of three films featuring Gallo to premiere at the festival, alongside Gallo's short film ''The Agent'' (2010), as well as Jerzy Skolimowski's ''Essential Killing'' (2010). Gallo shunned all publicity at Venice, and arrived dressed in a balaclava. He refused to hold a press conference for ''Promises Written in Water'', and did not take the stage to accept his Volpi Cup for Best Actor, which he won for his performance in ''Essential Killing''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Collett-White|first1=Mike|last2=Aloisi|first2=Silvia|title=Favoritism charges follow Tarantino Venice awards|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/film-us-venice/favoritism-charges-follow-tarantino-venice-awards-idUKTRE68927D20100912|work=Reuters|date=12 September 2010}}</ref>

''Promises Written in Water'' was later shown at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 15, 2010.

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.<ref name="IndieWire"/> 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."<ref name="New York Times">{{cite news|last=Lim|first=Dennis|title=R.I.P. 'Promises,' It Was Nice Knowing You|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/movies/vincent-gallo-keeps-promises-written-in-water-off-screens.html|work=New York Times|date=8 June 2012}}</ref> However, in an Instagram message from 2020, Gallo told an inquiring fan that "I may show it one day."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/matheusfiore/status/1316548345628954631|title=Eu salvei o cinema hoje. Simples assim. De nada. Pra quem perdeu, segue imagens|work=Twitter|date=14 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015011628/https://twitter.com/matheusfiore/status/1316548345628954631 |archive-date=2020-10-15 }}</ref>

==Reception== The film was not distributed and received generally poor reviews from critics, while audience reception leaned more positive. Stephanie Zacharek of ''Movieline'' reported that at the Venice premiere, the film concluded with both clapping and booing from the audience.<ref>{{cite news|last=Zacharek|first=Stephanie|title=Postcard from Venice: Vincent Gallo Keeps His Promises, François Ozon Scores With Stars |url=http://movieline.com/2010/09/postcard-from-venice-vincent-gallo-keeps-his-promises-francois-ozon-scores-with-stars.php|work=Movieline|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911075029/http://movieline.com/2010/09/postcard-from-venice-vincent-gallo-keeps-his-promises-francois-ozon-scores-with-stars.php|archive-date=11 September 2010}}</ref> Truls Lie of ''Modern Times Review'' reported:

<blockquote>"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."<ref name="Lie">{{cite news|last=Lie|first=Truls|title= Mostra 2010: Death in Venice|url=https://www.moderntimes.review/mostra-2010-death-venice/|date=15 December 2010|work=Modern Times Review}}</ref></blockquote>

Lie also wrote that Gallo's film "saved the festival for me. This eccentric man, known for his roles in several movies, brought to mind works by Warhol and Cassavetes."<ref name="Lie"/>

Leslie Felperin of ''Variety'' 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.<ref>{{cite news|author=Felperin, Leslie|date=6 September 2010|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/reviews/promises-written-in-water-1117943447/|title=Promises Written in Water|work=Variety}}</ref>

Deborah Young of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' 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 after its festival outings."<ref>{{cite news|author=Young, Deborah|date=14 October 2010|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/promises-written-water-film-review-29948|title=Promises Written in Water — Film Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>

Xan Brooks of ''The Guardian'' 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. In the straitjacketed world of narrative film-making, that has to count for something."<ref>{{cite news|last=Brooks|first=Xan|title=Promises Written in Water|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/07/promises-written-in-water-venice|work=The Guardian|date=7 September 2010}}</ref> Scott Tobias of ''The A.V. Club'' 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."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tobias|first1=Scott|last2=Murray|first2=Noel|title=TIFF '10: Day 6|url=https://www.avclub.com/tiff-10-day-6-1798221737|work=The A.V. Club|date=15 September 2010}}</ref>

Film critic Michael Sicinski<ref>{{cite web|title=Michael Sicinski - The Criterion Collection|url=https://www.criterion.com/current/author/497-michael-sicinski|work=Criterion.com|access-date=15 May 2023}}</ref> gave the film a positive review, writing that "''Promises'' is without a doubt the most experimental feature film I’ve seen at this year’s festival, and that includes ''Uncle Boonmee''." Sicinski compared the film to Andy Warhol's films ''Kiss'' and ''Chelsea Girls'', and added that the film contained a "raucous dance number (set to Polygon Window’s "Quoth")" and "a beautiful nude portrait of Bafort reminiscent of Willard Maas’s ''Geography of the Body''."<ref>{{cite web|last=Sicinski|first=Michael|title=2010 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL |url=http://academichack.net/TIFF2010.htm#Promises|date=September 2010|work=academichack.net|access-date=15 May 2023}}</ref>

In 2017, cinematographer Sean Price Williams called it the sixth greatest film of the past ten years, writing:

<blockquote>"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?"<ref>{{cite news|title=10/10: Sean Price Williams|url=https://projectr.tv/blog/10-10-sean-price-williams|date=2017|work=Projectr.tv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623083227/https://projectr.tv/blog/10-10-sean-price-williams |archive-date=2021-06-23 }}</ref></blockquote>

In 2024, Williams praised the film again, saying that "it’s a movie that’s always in my head".<ref>{{cite news|last=Lattanzio|first=Ryan|title=Sean Price Williams on His ‘1000 Movies' Book, Vincent Gallo, and Missing '90s Classics Due to 'Pretentious Young Man Sh*t'|url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/sean-price-williams-1000-movies-book-interview-1235001339/|work=IndieWire|date=7 May 2024}}</ref>

==Award== {| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 50%;" |- ! scope="col"| Year ! scope="col"| Award ! scope="col"| Category ! scope="col"| Result |- | 2010 | Venice Film Festival | Golden Lion | {{nom}} |}

== References == {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.promiseswritteninwater.com Official ''Promises Written in Water'' website] *{{IMDb title|1712563}} *[http://www.graydaisyfilms.com Gray Daisy Films] *[http://www.vincentgallofilms.com Vincent Gallo Films]

{{Vincent Gallo}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Promises Written In Water}} Category:2010 films Category:2010 drama films Category:Films directed by Vincent Gallo Category:American black-and-white films Category:American drama films Category:2010 English-language films Category:2010 American films Category:English-language drama films Category:2010 black-and-white films