''Tenderness'' is a 2009

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

John Polson John Polson (born 6 September 1965) is an Australian actor, director and founder of Tropfest. As an actor, Polson's best known role is probably starring opposite Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson in '' The Sum of Us'' (1994). In February 2001, ...

and written by Emil Stern, based on the novel of the same name by

Robert Cormier Robert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925 – November 2, 2000) was an American author and journalist, known for his deeply pessimistic novels, many of which were written for young adults. Recurring themes include abuse, mental illness, violence, ...

. Starring

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

Jon Foster Jon Foster (born August 3, 1984) is an American actor and musician. His films include the drama ''The Door in the Floor'' (2004), the horror film ''Stay Alive'' (2006), the thriller ''Brotherhood'' (2010), and the drama ''Rampart'' (2011). Foste ...

, Sophie Traub, and

Laura Dern Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. Born to actor Bruce Dern and ac ...

, the film follows the intersecting lives of three people - a young man just released from jail, a girl looking for escape who becomes fascinated with him and the police detective who is sure the boy will kill again. The film received mixed reviews, with some critics highlighting the formulaic nature of the story as a problem.

Plot

Lori is an unhappy 15/16-year-old girl who lives with her single mother. She receives sexual attention from men, including her boss at a retail store and her mother's boyfriend Gary. Eric Komenko is an 18-year-old boy who has killed his parents. Incarcerated, Komenko frequently gets visits from Lt. Cristofuoro, the detective who arrested him. Lt. Cristofuoro is convinced Komenko is a

psychopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent Anti-social behaviour, antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and Boldness, bold, Disinhibition, disinhibited, and Egotism, egotistical B ...

, that he killed two teenage girls previously, and that he will kill again. After Eric is released from the

juvenile detention facility In criminal justice systems, a youth detention center, known as a juvenile detention center (JDC),Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 20011202. Retrieved 23 August 2010. , . juvenile de ...

, he lives with his aunt. His release attracts some media attention, which leads Lori to seek out Eric at his home. Lori gets in the back of Eric's car to seek shelter from rain, and she falls asleep. When Eric leaves for the weekend to meet another girl at an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

, Lori pops up from under a blanket while Eric is driving. The scare and near accident which follows cause a bit of a situation with the police. Reluctantly and not knowing what else to do, Eric allows Lori to continue the journey with him. Lori, who is starved for attention and morbidly enamored by his crimes, flirts with Eric and repeated makes advances towards him. Eric, angered by her efforts, refuses her. In a desperate attempt to gain his affection, Lori tells him she saw him kiss a girl down by a river shortly before he murdered his parents. Eric realizes she saw him with the girl he choked to death in his first, unsolved murder, and makes several half-hearted attempts to kill Lori. Each time he is thwarted, either by Lori or by other circumstances. In a motel room, Lori invites Eric to strangle her, even professing her love for him. Eric, confused and angry, walks away. At the amusement park, Eric meets Maria. As he walks around the park with Maria, Lori seethes with jealousy. Maria flirts with Eric and offers to take him to secluded area of the park to be alone. He gives Maria a necklace he bought for her on the trip. As he clasps it around her neck, it is revealed that Maria was bait by Lt. Cristofuoro in a plot to find Eric in order to trap him before he repeats his past mistakes. Lori warns him of the trap before he can harm Maria. Because Lt. Cristofuoro cannot charge Eric with a crime, Eric is released but Lt. Christofuoro, hoping to keep her safe, warns Lori of Eric's nature. Lori pleads with Eric to make a boat trip, Lori commits

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

by allowing herself to fall into the water although she is unable to swim. Eric, knowing he will be accused of killing her, tries to save her, but to no avail. Eric is then seen in the custody of a penitentiary in Lt. Cristofuoro's presence. Although he admits to believing Eric's explanation of how Lori died, Lt. Cristofuoro explains to Eric that he belongs in prison. Refusing to vouch for Eric, Lt. Cristofuoro lets Lori's death keep Eric imprisoned. In the end, it is revealed that Lori saw Eric put the dead girl in the river, revealing the end twist that the whole while she was trying to have him kill her, and that she had finally committed suicide when she found out he wouldn't.

Cast

as Lt. Cristofuoro *

as Eric Komenko * Sophie Traub as Lori *

as Teresa, Eric's aunt *

Alexis Dziena Alexis Gabrielle Dziena (born July 8, 1984) is an American actress. Early life Dziena was born in New York City and is of Irish, Italian and Polish descent. She attended the private Saint Ann's School alongside her ''Bringing Rain'' (2003) co ...

as Maria *

Arija Bareikis Arija Allison Bareikis is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Officer Chickie Brown in the TV crime drama ''Southland''. She is also known for the films '' Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo'' and ''The Purge''. Early life and educa ...

as Marsha, Lori's mother * Michael Kelly as Gary, Marsha's boyfriend *

Tim Hopper Tim Hopper is an American actor known for his appearances in movies like '' Tenderness'' and ''To Die For''. He has been an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago, Illinois since 1988 and acted in various stage product ...

as Dan Komenko *

C. S. Lee Charles Seung-hee Lee (; born December 30, 1971), known professionally as C. S. Lee, is an American actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known for playing sex-obsessed forensics analyst Vince Masuka on the Showtime drama series ''Dexter''. P ...

as a highway patrolman

Production

The scenes in the juvenile detention center were shot at the

Arthur Kill Correctional Facility Arthur Kill Correctional Facility was a medium security correctional facility on Arthur Kill Road in Charleston, Staten Island, New York City. It operated from 1976 to 2011, run by what was then the New York State Department of Correctional Service ...

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It was also shot in the county of

Rockland, New York Rockland is a town in the northern part of Sullivan County, New York, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,290.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census, Rockland town, Sullivan County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.ht ...

. It is revealed on the DVD that the producers only convinced Crowe to take on the project after expanding his role and giving his character a voiceover narration.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

it has an approval rating of 40% based on reviews from 15 critics, with an average rating of 5.14/10. Russell Edwards of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that it "initially tantalizes but fails to deliver".

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote, "''Tenderness'' is a movie undone by its formulaic plot conventions, and its need to give its star more screen time than his characters merits."

References

External links

* * * {{John Polson 2009 films 2000s crime films American crime films Australian crime films Films directed by John Polson Films based on American novels 2000s English-language films 2000s American films