Environmental lawyer Aurora (Noëlle Schönwald) has sought out refuge in Canada after her husband is mysteriously killed. She flees across the border from Colombia and then, after some additional information is explained about Aurora’s backstory, the film fast-forwards to the refugee’s contemporary lifestyle in Toronto. Despite finding new roots and separating herself from the past, some new reminders and concerning sightings have Aurora second-guessing her identity.

So Much Tenderness is quietly meditative for the most part, but Colombian-Canadian writer/director Lina Rodriguez (Señoritas) injects her story with thrilling spurts. There’s a surprise appearance by a potential accomplice to Aurora’s late husband’s murder, which is intriguing (especially when she spots him and subtly tracks him from the TTC and through downtown Toronto); and the movie starts out strong as we observe Aurora’s tense escape.  However, the filmmaker indulges exaggerated silences and redundant conversations that either stall the story or a character’s development.

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So Much Tenderness screens at TIFF on:

Saturday, September 10 at 6:30 p.m. @ TIFF Bell Lightbox
Thursday, September 15 at 3:30 p.m. @ TIFF Bell Lightbox
Friday, September 16 at 3:40 p.m. @ Scotiabank Theatre (Press & Industry)

Language: English, Spanish
Runtime: 118 minutes

For more information on the festival, visit the official TIFF webpage here.

Buy tickets here.

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