TENDERNESS

"A delicate, delightful and thoroughly captivating road trip of reminiscences, Marion Hänsel's film … is a magnificently mature piece of work driven by thoughtful and engaging performances by Marilyne Canto and Olivier Gourmet." - Screen Daily

Fifteen years after their divorce, 50-something former couple Lisa and Frans find themselves thrown together again to help their son, hospitalised following a ski accident. The two are on friendly terms but as they drive from Belgium to France to collect him, and old habits begin to re-surface, they recall the past and bask in the unique shorthand that becomes a family's own language.

A warm-hearted and often funny depiction of love and affection, Belgian filmmaker Marion Hänsel's Tenderness explores the small intimacies, irritations and understandings that develop in close - even estranged - relationships, where communication is as much about the silence as it is about story. With stunning photography and breathtaking alpine scenery, this is a sincere film of small moments and grand themes.

"This genial road trip is not only a fascinating drive through Europe but also a thoughtful look at the tenderness that is at the heart of all close relationships." - Screen Daily

D/S Marion Hänsel P Marion Hänsel, Cedomir Kolar, Ernst Szebedits Dist Palace Films L French w/English subtitles TD DCP/2013