Character Relationship Map: Promises

Characters

• Alexander (played by Pierfrancesco Favino) — protagonist

  Alexander is the central character, a book dealer whose life moves between childhood in Italy and adulthood in England. His search for a lost family book, love for Sandra at 16, relationships with Lau...

• Laura (played by Kelly Reilly) — protagonist

  Laura is one of the people with whom Alexander develops a relationship during his adult life in England. The summary places her within the complicated network of connections surrounding Alexander, alo...

• Grandpa (played by Jean Reno) — supporting

  Grandpa is part of Alexander's family history and is believed to have owned the painted Pillone books sought by a prospective buyer. His connection to these rare books links Alexander's adult work as...

• Bianca (played by Ginnie Watson) — supporting

  Bianca is Alexander's wife in his adult life in England. Their marriage becomes strained, and she directly tells Alexander that she no longer loves him and wants a divorce. Her decision forces him to...

• Jack (played by Deepak Verma) — supporting

  Jack is one of the people with whom Alexander develops a relationship during his adult life in England. The summary identifies him as part of Alexander's personal circle, but gives no further informat...

• Sandra at 16 (played by Alice Maselli) — minor

  Sandra at 16 is Alexander's first and last love, encountered during his youth in Italy. Their romance is separated by distance while Alexander works in a cinema and sells books to save for their futur...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Alexander → Sandra at 16 (Romantic First Love) — Sandra is presented as Alexander's formative and enduring lost love.

  Alexander falls in love with Sandra at sixteen and calls her his first and last love.

• Alexander → Bianca (Romantic Spouse) — Alexander and Bianca are married, but their relationship deteriorates.

  The plot states that Alexander's marriage to Bianca becomes strained.

• Alexander → Grandpa (Family Grandson) — Alexander's family history is connected to his Grandpa through the rare books.

  The prospective buyer is searching for painted Pillone books believed to have belonged to Alexander's Grandpa.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Laura → Jack (Shared Social Circle) — The plot places Laura and Jack within Alexander's overlapping English social world.

  Laura and Jack are both identified among the people with whom Alexander develops relationships in England.

• Alexander → Jack (Social Personal Relationship) — Jack is connected to Alexander through his adult life in England.

  The plot states that Alexander develops relationships with Laura, Jack, and Marika in England.

• Alexander → Laura (Social Personal Relationship) — Laura becomes part of Alexander's adult emotional and social life.

  In England, Alexander develops a relationship with Laura.

Story Analysis

Alexander's life moves from lost books and lost love toward an acceptance that family, memory, and parenthood give meaning to impermanence.

Plot Progression

1. The Books That Return — Alexander meets a prospective buyer searching for painted Pillone books linked to his Grandpa. The meeting awakens memories of a destroyed castle and a vanished family book.
2. Moonlight And First Love — Childhood memories in Italy connect Alexander's fascination with the moon to his understanding of impermanence. He then falls deeply in love with Sandra at sixteen.
3. Distance And Devastation — Alexander works and sells books to save for a future with Sandra, but distance separates them. Sandra's emotional suffering culminates in a suicide attempt, leaving Alexander devastated.
4. England's Difficult Choices — In England, Alexander forms new relationships while his marriage to Bianca deteriorates. Bianca's divorce request forces him to confront the limits of his romantic expectations.
5. A Family Beyond Loss — Years later, Alexander rushes to the hospital when his daughter goes into labor. At her wedding, he sees how love and parenthood have transformed the meaning of his losses.