So Much Tenderness

We streamed this film on Criterion Channel based on a New York Times recommendation. The Times recently "spotlighted" So Much Tenderness so we thought we'd give it a watch. It took three attempts to finish watching as my husband kept falling asleep. In addition to the most insipid dialog, we had to endure the disjointed plot, mediocre acting, and poor character development. In recent weeks, we have seen three foreign language films that were mesmerizing. Past Lives, Anatomy of a Fall, and The Society of Snow are films that stay with you long past the viewing. So Much Tenderness is So Much Ado About Nothing. Avoid it.

I love the long takes with little dialogue, because the actors' faces tell the story. The two female leads have impressive faces and convey their characters quite well, The plot isn't full of dramatic, noisy confrontations, but tells the story of desperate immigrants trying to create a new life, by showing the mundane day to day choices and the people they encounter. There's an undertone of danger, as the lead is escaping Colombia after the apparent murder of her husband, somehow connected to her legal campaign against corporate pollution. But that's the backdrop, and the plot is less important than the account of her new life. If you pay attention and go with it, you might find this worth your while.