If you think your current financial situation is stressful, writer and director Adam Hoelzel is here to make you feel a whole lot better about your bank account. Hoelzel is proud to announce that his debut directorial feature, Tender. It will celebrate its World Premiere as the prestigious Closing Night Film of Dances With Films in LA on June 28th. While it is his directing debut, Hoelzel is no stranger to high-stakes tension. He penned the screenplay for the Daniel Radcliffe-led thriller Beast of Burden.
A Psychological Nightmare
Described as a slow-burning psychological nightmare, the film follows a married couple drowning in debt. They unexpectedly stumble upon what looks like absolute financial salvation right inside the walls of their own house. Unfortunately for them, their initial jubilation quickly curdles into a toxic obsession. As their desperate plan to escape financial ruin spirals out of control, it breeds an infectious wave of suspicion, paranoia, and total psychological collapse. Blending escalating dread with the claustrophobia of a crumbling relationship, the film zeroes in on the raw terror of realizing the person sleeping right next to you might actually be your ultimate downfall.
According to Hoelzel, the film is an exploration of how extreme desperation can rot a relationship.
Hoelzel shared, “This film explores how desperation can rot a relationship from the inside out. We were interested in the psychological unraveling — the way fear and greed distort perception until love starts to feel like a trap.”
The Cast
To pull off this domestic descent into madness, Hoelzel assembled a powerhouse ensemble cast. The paranoid couple is led by Jesse Garcia (The Odyssey) and Jess Weixler (Teeth). They are joined by Robert Longstreet (The Haunting of Hill House), David Koechner (Anchorman), Sonja O’Hara (Snare), Shakira Barrera (Ironheart), and Mark St. Cyr (The Menu). Rounding out the neighborhood watch are Stephen Ellis, Robert Peters, Al O’Harar Cubis, and Keli Price.
Bringing the claustrophobic thriller to life is a massive village of indie producers. That includes Sonja O’Hara, Sofia Rovaletti, Farrell Ingle, Theo Bucksey, and Roy Hsu. They are flanked by Grayson Hay, Corey Moosa, David Hopwood, Michael K. Dwyer’s A Group of Ferrets, and Juan Pablo Reinoso’s Firebook Entertainment.
For anyone looking to catch the grand finale of the festival, Tender promises to make sure you never look at your drywall—or your spouse—the same way again.
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