Film Review: Style Camouflages a Hollow Narrative in TENDER

Despite a stellar indie cast and compelling visuals, Adam Hoelzel’s directorial debut misses the mark. RabbleRouse News reviews the Dances With Films closer.

Adam Hoelzel’s debut directorial feature, Tender, served as the closing night film for the Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles on June 28. Billed as a slow-burn psychological thriller, the film follows a married couple who inherit a home saddled with heavy debt and criminal secrets. While the film attempts to weave mystery and sensuality into a complex thriller, it ultimately proves that style can only camouflage a hollow narrative for so long. 

The film leans heavily into its slow-burn aspirations, but the smolder never quite catches fire. Rather than building a mounting sense of dread, the story unfolds across a psychological landscape increasingly untethered from reality and logic. Because the internal narrative logic fails, it becomes difficult to care about the fates of the characters.

A Deep Bench of Underutilized Independent Talent

Hoelzel clearly aims to channel the cinematic languages of David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino. However, the non-linear structure results in a disjointed experience where character motivations and resolutions simply do not align. Stylistic homages—most notably a garage scene with that leans into Reservoir Dogs to prioritize “cool” visuals over narrative cohesion. Antonio Cisneros’ compelling cinematography shines in isolation, but it highlights the void where a solid storytelling foundation should be. The final product feels like a film that takes the longest, most winding route to an unearned destination.

To his credit, Hoelzel managed to assemble an enviable roster of veteran character actors and rising independent talent for his first feature. It is a genuine frustration to see such a deep bench underutilized. The cast features strong turns from Jesse Garcia and Jess Weixler, alongside veteran talent like David Koechner (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) and Robert Longstreet (The Haunting of Hill House).

We have a profound respect for what it takes to get an independent feature film across the finish line. We applaud Hoelzel for the Herculean effort of production, and his visual eye is undeniable. We remain hopeful that his next project pairs that visual talent with a script that matches its ambition. We would love nothing more than to watch his next film and smile with a solid “Yes!” This wasn’t it, though.