Tenderness (2009)

A policeman works to figure out whether a violent teen murdered his family.

Director:

John Polson

Writers:

Emil Stern (screenplay), Robert Cormier (novel)

Stars:

Russell Crowe, Jon Foster, Sophie Traub

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Russell Crowe	...	Lt. Cristofuoro
Jon Foster	...	Eric Poole
Sophie Traub	...	Lori
Laura Dern	...	Aunt Teresa
Alexis Dziena	...	Maria
Arija Bareikis	...	Marsha
Tim Hopper	...	Dan Komenko
Vivienne Benesch	...	Lisa Komenko
Brian Patrick Russell	...	Facility Director (as Brian Russell)
Lou Sumrall	...	Cafeteria Guard
Tanya Clarke	...	Jackie Cristofuoro
Michael Kelly	...	Gary
Lee R. Sellars	...	Sam (as Lee Sellars)
Matt Pepper	...	Ben
Saul Stein	...	Another Guard

Storyline

Three lives. Buffalo detective Lt. Cristofuoro, whose catatonic wife is in hospital, takes a special interest in Eric Komenko, a juvenile who killed his parents and will be freed on his 18th birthday. So does Lori Cranston, 15 or 16, her body fully developed and the object of lust by her boss and her mother's new boyfriend. She keeps a scrapbook about Eric, and when he's released from custody, she hides in the backseat of his car, insisting he take her with him on a trip toward Albany where he's planning to meet a girl. Cristofuoro is certain Eric will kill again, so he follows. It's clear early on that Cristofuoro's probably right, but what's Lori's motivation?

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Plot Keywords:

teenage girl | release from prison | road trip | ill wife | police | 

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Taglines:

The intimacy of the kill.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content, and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 2009 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Tenderness - Auf der Spur des Killers

Filming Locations:

Arthur Kill Correctional Facility - 2911 Arthur Kill Road, Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$322,189

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate, GreeneStreet Films, iDeal Partners Film Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Russell Crowe filmed all of his scenes in 9 days.

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Goofs

The scene when he is looking for Maria in front of the pirate ship ride you can hear people screaming yet the ride is empty.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lt. Cristofuoro: My wife likes to say there are two kinds of people, those chasing pleasure, and those running from pain. Lorelei Cranston is Running. Running from all kinds of everything. Probably has been her whole life.
Lt. Cristofuoro: If you ask me, nobody gets to escape their pain. It's there when you brush your teeth at night. It's there before breakfast. It will come up fierce and sharp, and lay in to you blunt and heavy. The most you can hope for is one good day. Because on a good day you get to tell ...

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Connections

Features Half-Life: Counter-Strike (2000)

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Soundtracks

Breathe
Written and Performed by Alexi Murdoch
Published by Mind Blue Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Zero Summer Records

User Reviews

Good film about twisted people

Terderness is not a thriller, it is a drama with suspense, if you don't get it, then you don't. It is an indie, different, and not a happy one, not by far. It reminds me of the Korean film Seom (The Isle), although it is not as brutal, just as sad. People in it, very well portrayed all in all, are desperate, trying to be anything else than they have to be. It is rare to find this slowly moving film with such strong emotions beneath the surface, specially when the problems are so far off, at least an American one, they are use to be about people finding themselves. This film is about trying to lost oneself. It deserves to get noticed, although I can't imagine normal people liking it. But if you like such films as The Isle, Underground, Funny Games, it is a must.