Tenderness

An aging detective becomes obsessed with a case that questions whether a violent teen is the killer behind a family massacre. He digs through court records, old notebooks, and guarded memories, trying to separate fact from rumor and determine if the young man in question truly ended the family's life or if some other force is at play. A confused fifteen-year-old runaway named Lori crosses paths with that same young man and finds in him a dangerous fascination that echoes her own troubled past. As the detective's pursuit stretches into the present, the story probes how violence can haunt ordinary lives and how memory shapes guilt and judgment. Memories surface, truth grows slippery, and the detective questions his approach.

Directed by John Polson and adapted from Robert Cormier's Tenderness, with screenplay by Emil Stern, crime drama pairs Russell Crowe with a young Jon Foster in a moral maze. The collaboration marks Polson's move into darker territory, balancing procedural feel.

Box office details for Tenderness are not widely reported. The film had a limited release and did not register a substantial worldwide gross, reflecting its niche appeal rather than mass-market reach. It earned respect from some critics despite lukewarm response.

Awards: The film did not receive major nominations at the usual award shows, keeping a low profile on the circuit. Some outlets noted the performances, especially Crowe and the younger cast, as a bright spot in a cautiously received project that strained conventional crime drama boundaries for some viewers today.

Reception to Tenderness was mixed, with critics debating film's bleak mood and its moral ambiguities. Some praised Crowe's presence and taut atmosphere, while others felt the storytelling drifted into sensationalism. The film foregrounds violence's corrosive pull, memory's fragility, and the tension between protection and control in a world of danger.