By Virgil Benyayer
The movie The Promises features Clémence(Isabelle Huppert), mayor of a town in the 93-department of Paris, determined to save the insalubrious Bernardins district. Alongside her first deputy Naidra (Naidra Ayadi) and her chief of staff Yazid (Reda Kateb), she must navigate between political ambitions, fragile loyalties and last-minute negotiations.
Clémence wants to stand for re-election, despite a promise made to Naidra to give up her seat. The dilemma intensifies when Pierre, an influential member of their party, enters the discussion and personal interests become entangled with the future of an entire neighborhood.
Initially, to avoid conflict, Clémence proposes a compromise: start the mandate, then hand it over to Naidra along the way. But something unexpected happens: Yazid manages to collect, in extremis, the missing charges from the co-owners of the housing estate, an essential condition for submitting the urban renewal application before the deadline.
This advance completely changes the balance of power. Clémence revises her negotiation strategy:
Option 1: Pierre immediately calls the Prime Minister to validate the 63 million euro renovation plan → Clémence withdraws her candidacy.
Option 2: No call is made → Clémence shows up alone and retains the full mandate.
This scene perfectly illustrates the notion of BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement).
In the initial situation, Naidra’s BATNA was to receive at least part of the mandate.
After the reversal, Clémence’s BATNA becomes much stronger: if no agreement is reached, Naidra loses any chance of gaining the position. This strategic shift makes the scene particularly powerful, and highlights the fragility of political alliances.
The film Les Promesses reminds us that negotiation is based on the ability to adapt to new information, the importance of power relations, and the central role of BATNA in any discussion.
How is BATNA’s strength – or weakness – illustrated?
What negotiation scenes have impressed you in the cinema? How is the notion of BATNA illustrated?
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