According to the official Netflix logline for Promised Hearts, “a young woman’s future is jeopardized by a secret arrangement that throws her life into chaos — but it may be the only way to save her family.” With that in mind, should you…
The Gist: Childhood besties Niyala (Beby Tsabina) and Faiq (Deva Mahenra) must face the truth of their feelings when they are betrothed to other people—Faiq to Diah (Caitlin Halderman), a woman he met while studying in Cairo, and Niyala to Roger (Dito Darmawan), her childhood bully who has secretly sabotaged her family into forcing the marriage upon her. But once Roger’s evil plan is revealed to Faiq, he does everything to save Niyala, eventually coming to terms with his true feelings.
What Will It Remind You Of?: Friends-to-lovers is a tried-and-true romance trope for a reason, and this one reminded me a bit of the Hindi-language classic Mujhse Dosti Karoge about a love triangle between childhood friends.
Performance Worth Watching: Dito Darmawan plays Roger, Niyala’s betrothed and a reformed bad boy who just wants to win over his childhood crush’s heart. But the former bad boy proves that people don’t always change and Darmawan plays the two sides of his character convincingly.
Memorable Dialogue: “Women are commodities, just like those fish,” Niyala’s future father-in-law tells her father and brother, setting the stakes and demonstrating just how bad this marriage set-up could be for the newly minted doctor.
Sex and Skin: This wholesome and lightly religious love story doesn’t have any sex or skin.
Our Take: For three-quarters of this film, I was all in. But endings are crucial, and unfortunately Promised Hearts doesn’t land the plane. Niyala and Faiq begin the film as best friends, and while Niyala has been harboring a secret, growing crush, Faiq doesn’t see her as more than a sibling. This chasm between them only grows as the film goes on, as Faiq falls in love with his fiancee Diah and Niyala pines for Faiq from afar.
The core romance is strong, but the film gets distracted in trying to bring the central couple together. Diah and Roger are essentially plot devices designed to keep Niyala and Faiq apart, but unfortunately both devolve into unbelievable caricatures. Roger’s arc seems to prove that people never change, as it’s revealed that he orchestrated the entire arranged marriage to trap his childhood crush into a lifelong relationship with him. Roger’s antics are heightened and he becomes cartoonishly evil, though Darmawan’s performance manages to stay grounded for most of the film.
The final twist that tears Faiq and Diah apart (and eventually brings Niyala and Faiq together) feels unfulfilling. Diah has been an understanding partner, and likely the only person in their lives to notice that Niyala and Faiq are closer than so-called best friends. But if not for the equivalent of someone bursting in to say they object to their union, Faiq would have carried on with his marriage, diluting the idea that he and Niyala are meant to be together. In the end, the idea that he proposes marriage to Niyala feels a bit like he’s settling instead of truly fighting for his true love.
For a romance, Promised Hearts is missing the grand gesture that is a hallmark of the genre for a reason; without that, this film feels like a broken promise.
Our Call: SKIP IT. What starts as a strong friends-to-lovers romance gets sidetracked by illogical plot turns and exaggerated characters.
Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.
Read the full article here
