Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Childhood love prevails in Indonesian drama; violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Promised Hearts
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In PROMISED HEARTS, Niyala (Beby Tsabina) lost her mother when she was a child. Best friend Faiq (Deva Mahenra) always has her back, even as they grow into adults. Niyala, who has always known she was in love with Faiq, goes off to become a doctor and returns to her village to be with family and serve the community. She hopes to marry Faiq, but to her shock he announces he is marrying Diah (Caitlin Halderman), a lovely woman who can see, like everyone else, that Faiq and Niyala belong together. Worse yet, Niyala's father announces he has betrothed her to a wealthy bad guy's bullying son Roger (Dito Darmawan) in exchange for erasing a huge debt. Niyala is crushed but dutifully agrees after Roger campaigns to prove to her that he's a changed man, transformed into someone kind and godly. Will Niyala be able to forget Faiq?
Is It Any Good?
With a simplistic script, almost nonexistent character development, and a deferral of all free will to the seeming whims of a trusted god, Promised Hearts often feels like an amateur production. Nothing surprising, challenging, or absorbing happens. The outcome is clear from the start. Niyala seems largely personality-free. Nothing we see would indicate it, yet we know she had the grit to get through medical school in a foreign country, which is no small feat. Faiq, who constantly drops everything to see to Niyala's well-being, can't figure out what is evident from the start—that he loves her. It is only in the last two minutes of screen time that he lets her know he loves her and wants to marry her. She sits in stunned silence.
And then, although he has rescued Niyala from a rape attempt, he doesn't hear the irony of announcing that her silence indicates to him that she has said yes to his marriage proposal. He quotes "the prophet:" "A woman's silence is considered as consent." Even accounting for cultural differences, this feels shockingly indicative of a social system designed to silence female voices. Niyala corrects him. "I haven't said yes," she points out, but a second later she does. One is left wondering if eventually that seemingly pervasive male attitude is going to wear her down.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way that fate and the will of God are constantly invoked. How does the movie depict religious faith?
How does the movie explain Faiq's utter obliviousness to the fact that he loves Niyala? Does it make sense? Does it matter if it doesn't?
The movie gives mixed messages about Roger and his intentions. Is it effective in helping us understand his character or does it feel like manipulation designed to bolster a flimsy plot?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : March 31, 2025
- Cast : Beby Tsabina , Deva Mahenra
- Director : Anggy Umbara
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s) , Asian Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 109 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : April 17, 2025
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