Image: Dendy Cinemas
The troubles of using a film’s title to convey the prevailing mood are many, features employing such obvious naming too often rallying against their decreed “good” or “bad” designation. It is refreshing, then, to find the trappings of announcing the tone at the outset are avoided in Marion Hänsel’s Tenderness (La tendresse), the resulting effort a feat of sweetness and sensitivity that cannot be underestimated.
It is simplicity that provides the foundation for the writer/director’s thoughtful tale, the first that veteran Belgian filmmaker has scripted based on her own idea. Her four-decade career has traversed the spectrum of cinematic outcomes, ranging from her first screen appearance as an actress in Palaver, to winning a Cannes prize for Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Perhaps it is the wisdom of these varying experiences that shines through in her contrast of youthful optimism and wearied acceptance, as she relates the contemplation of love and loyalty across two generations of one family.
An accident brings divorced couple Lisa (Marilyne Canto, Iris in Bloom) and Frans (Olivier Gourmet, The Lookout) together, their only son Jack (Adrien Jolivet, The Snows of Kilimanjaro) breaking his leg whilst skiing in the French Alps. When Jack’s girlfriend Allison (Margaux Châtelier, Paris-Manhattan) calls for their help, the duo are forced into close quarters for the first time in 15 years, commencing with the drive from Belgium to bring him home.
The ensuing road trips – both there and back – are revelatory in understanding the eccentricities and irritations that still remain after years apart; the co-parenting of their laidback offspring upon their arrival proves just as illuminating of their differences. And yet, warmth remains in the remnants of the life they once shared, as they witness Jack endeavour to follow in their happier footsteps with Allison.
With ample playful banter, but the bitter bickering normally equated to divorced parents happily subdued, Tenderness offers a realistic and mature portrait of the connections and challenges that form the varied foundation of ordinary relationships in all their guises. Shying away from narrative complexity and avoiding obvious opportunities to resort to clichéd reunions, Hänsel instead turns her concern to the quiet moments and small details. Her episodic glimpses are swift and slight, but sympathetic in evoking all that the titular term can stand for.
The cast prove up to the task of embodying the atmosphere intended, each well-suited to their characters and well-performing in establishing an authentic rapport. Their turns are understated, just as the underlying tale remains honest; that hopefulness and humour resonate can be attributed to their intimacy. The use of picturesque snow-peaked setting affords an agreeable backdrop; however, the aesthetic pleasantries are merely window dressing. It is affection that truly lingers; this is one feature that earns its stated emotions.
Rating: 3
Tenderness (La tendresse)
Director: Marion Hänsel
Belgium / France / Germany, 2013, 94 mins
Canberra International Film Festival
October 30 – November 4
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