Psychological Thriller Tender Set for World Premiere as Dances With Films Closing Night Film
- Horror Movies Uncut
- Jun 8
- 2 min read
Psychological Thriller Tender Set for World Premiere as Dances With Films Closing Night Selection
Independent psychological thriller Tender is set to make its World Premiere on June 28 as the Closing Night Film of this year's Dances With Films: LA.
The feature marks the directorial debut of Adam Hoelzel, who previously wrote the screenplay for Beast of Burden, starring Daniel Radcliffe. With Tender, Hoelzel shifts his focus toward a slow-burn psychological thriller centered on desperation, obsession, and the unraveling of trust within a marriage.
The film follows a financially struggling married couple who discover what appears to be the answer to their mounting debt problems hidden within their own home. What begins as a hopeful opportunity soon spirals into something far more dangerous as greed, suspicion, and paranoia begin to consume them. As their situation deteriorates, the boundaries between reality and fear become increasingly blurred, forcing both characters to question the intentions of the person closest to them.
According to Hoelzel, the film examines the corrosive effects of desperation on relationships.
"This film explores how desperation can rot a relationship from the inside out," Hoelzel said. "We were interested in the psychological unraveling, the way fear and greed distort perception until love starts to feel like a trap."
Leading the cast are Jesse Garcia (The Odyssey, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip) and Jess Weixler (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, Teeth).
The supporting cast includes Robert Longstreet (The Haunting of Hill House), David Koechner (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), Sonja O'Hara (Snare), Shakira Barrera (Ironheart), Mark St. Cyr (The Menu), Stephen Ellis (Abbott Elementary), Robert Peters (Lincoln), Alexander Cubis (Tyler Perry's Ruthless), and Keli Price (Murder at Hollow Creek).
The production team features producers Sonja O'Hara, Sofia Rovaletti, Farrell Ingle, Theo Bucksey, Roy Hsu, Grayson Hay, Corey Moosa, David Hopwood, Michael K. Dwyer, and Juan Pablo Reinoso.
Known for spotlighting emerging filmmakers and independent cinema, Dances With Films has become a launching pad for numerous genre projects over the years. Landing the Closing Night slot places Tender among one of the festival's most anticipated selections.
With themes of financial desperation, psychological deterioration, and escalating paranoia, Tender looks poised to deliver an intimate thriller that explores how quickly trust can collapse when survival becomes the only thing that matters.
Tender will make its World Premiere at Dances With Films: LA on June 28.
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