Director: Bruce Beresford
Writer: Horton Foote
Cinematrographer: Russell Boyd
Cast: Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley
Running Time: 100 min.

“The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:9)

Robert Duvall reunited with his old friend, screenwriter Horton Foote (To Kill A Mockingbird) to portray Mac Sledge, a has-been country singer who, at the start of this story, has hit rock bottom. He awakens from a drunken stupor, alone and without money, at a remote roadside Texas motel run by a young war widow, Rosa Lee (Tess Harper).

Australian Director Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant) crafts the film with a clear appreciation for small town life and values. The story does not build so much as it unfolds; Mac and Rosa Lee marry, he becomes a surrogate father to her young son, he attempts to reconcile with his own daughter (a very young Ellen Barkin), and, in time, through the love of God and good people, the creative spirit inside of Mac re-awakens. There is nothing overt about Mac’s transformation; no Hollywood romance, no miraculous conversion, no storybook ending. The baptismal scene, when re-born lovers emerge fresh from the water, wide-eyed and optimistic about their future together, is one of the more quietly moving moments ever commited to film.

Tender Mercies is about redemption, restoration and hope. Duvall provides another fine portrait of a stoic yet complicated soul fighting the demons of his own making. His low-key and laconic performance is quietly echoed in the film’s unwinding narrative and long shots of bleak, open landscapes that lend a naked beauty to the screen. The skies lean heavily on the people and plains of east Texas. Mac Sledge appears to be the central character, but you may find yourself relating more closely with Rosa Lee as she slowly learns to understand, then care for, then respect this man who has altered her life.

The film was nominated for five academy awards and won two: Best Actor for Duvall and best Original Screenplay for Horton Foote.