Written and directed by Katarína Gramatová as her feature debut, Promise, I’ll Be Fine played in the Special Screenings section of the 2025 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival after a world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival. The director was selected as part of last year’s Future Frames – Generation NEXT of European Cinema programme (see the interview). After her previous short, the filmmaker returns to the rural village of Utekáč to give us a glance at one variation of life in the Slovak countryside.

The film introduces the story as being inspired by life in Slovakia's "Hunger Valleys", which refers to high rates of unemployment and poverty levels. Slovak teen Eňo (Michal Záchenský) is sent by his young mother, Martina (Eva Mores), to live with his grandmother (Jana Oľhova) in a rural village, where he has nothing better to do than ride mopeds and get up to mischief with his friends.

Martina tells him she must take up a caregiving job out of the country to earn money, visiting him when she can – precious time that the teen craves. When the rumour spreads that she might not be true to her word, and that she is involved in some sort of elaborate scam with a cushy new life of her own, Eňo is determined to find out the truth, regardless of the tragedy that may await him.

Using a series of opposing stylistic choices – rural boredom and teen antics, the quiet environment and upbeat music by 700 Feel – Gramatová expertly sets up the abrasive family dynamic early on. After being informed that her son has skipped over 20 hours of school, Martina’s only response is, "Oh dear," set off by a dismissive chuckle. For Eňo and his friends, the director also employs a group of young cast members played by local non-professionals.

With the village captured by DoP Tomáš Kotas, the dichotomy between Eňo’s adolescent restlessness and the static nature of the rural setting heightens our protagonist’s feeling of abandonment in the countryside. The two major throughlines – Eňo’s everyday life and his pursuit to find out what his mother is really up to – feel somewhat disconnected from each other, as the former is very stagnant, and the latter is much more narratively driven. The film’s visuals are a joy to behold, although the intertwined narratives would have benefited from a touch more coherence.

Promise, I’ll Be Fine is a Slovak-Czech production staged by Dryeye Film and co-produced by Nochi Film. Its world sales are handled by Hong Kong-based Cappu Films Limited.