To all aspiring screenwriters: this is how to do it. Horton Foote eschews all of the phony and melodramatic plot devices Hollywood is so fond of, and concentrates instead on telling his tale as truly and simply as possible. In complete synch with him are his collaborators, director Bruce Beresford and star Robert Duvall. There's not a false gesture, extraneous word of dialogue, or wasted camera move. Just people who seem real, who strive to reach out to others, who want love and want to give it, but sometimes don't know how. There are quiet, subtle moments in this movie that squeeze the heart. Don't pass this one by.
Review of Tender Mercies
