''Broken Promise'' ( sk, Nedodržaný sľub) is a 2009

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Jiří Chlumský and starring Samuel Spišák,

Ondřej Vetchý Ondřej Vetchý (born 16 May 1962) is a Czech actor. He was born in Jihlava, Czechoslovakia. He is currently employed at The Drama Club (DC) in Prague. Notable performances * 2005 – Katurian in ''The Pillowman'', DC * 2004 – Carluccio i ...

, and Zuzana Porubjaková. The film was Slovakia's submission to the

82nd Academy Awards The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2009 and took place on March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m ...

in the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

category. It won the main prize at the 2009 Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival. ''Broken Promise'' received nine nominations at the 2010

Sun in a Net Awards The Sun in a Net Awards ( sk, Slnko v sieti) are annual awards that recognize accomplishments in filmmaking and television. It is the highest award of achievement in film awarded in Slovakia. It is organised by the Slovak Film and Television Acad ...

but succeeded in winning just one, awarded to Michal Novinski for the film's music.

Plot

Martin Friedmann grows up in a large Jewish family in the Slovak town of Bánovce nad Bebravou. His life is turned upside down with the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

's alignment with the Nazis, and the subsequent persecution of Jews. Motivated by a letter from a friend, he voluntarily goes to the labor camp in

Sereď Sereď (; hu, Szered ) is a town in southern Slovakia near Trnava, on the right bank of the Váh River on the Danubian Lowland. It has approximately 15,500 inhabitants. Geography Sereď lies at an altitude of above mean sea level, above sea l ...

, where he manages to avoid being deported to a death camp due to his ability to play football. One day, he escapes the camp and returns to his hometown, only to discover that his family has been removed. After returning to the camp, Martin catches pneumonia, and the doctor sends him to a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

. In order not to have to return to the camp, he works as a laborer in a monastery. With the end of the war approaching, Martin leaves the monastery, contacts the resistance in

Poprad Poprad (; hu, Poprád; german: Deutschendorf) is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains, famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the ten ...

, and joins the partisans under the name Martin Petrášek. He actively participates in the

Slovak National Uprising The Slovak National Uprising ( sk, Slovenské národné povstanie, abbreviated SNP) was a military uprising organized by the Slovak resistance movement during World War II. This resistance movement was represented mainly by the members of the ...

, during which he works in

Zvolen Zvolen (; hu, Zólyom; german: Altsohl) is a town in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the West an ...

. After the defeat of the rebellion, he and the other partisans take refuge in the mountains, where they fight and manage to hold out until the end of the war. In the end, Martin returns to his birthplace, where he finds only memories and family heirlooms. The film concludes with footage of the real Martin Friedmann visiting Slovakia in the late 2000s, standing at the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

waterfront in Bratislava.

Cast and characters

* Samuel Spišák as Martin Friedmann *

as Friedmann senior * Zuzana Porubjaková as Eva

References

External links

* {{IMDb title
''Broken Promise''
at

Eurochannel Eurochannel is a world television channel focused on European culture and lifestyle through movies, series and other programs dedicated to European culture. Eurochannel broadcasts in original audio with subtitles in English, Spanish and Portugue ...

2000s war drama films Czech war drama films Slovak war drama films 2009 drama films 2009 films Czech World War II films Slovak World War II films American World War II films World War II films based on actual events 2000s American films 2000s Czech films

Plot

Cast and characters

See also

References

External links