Tender son. The Frankenstein Project
by Kornél Mundruczó
Austria/Germany/Hungary, 2010, colour
Long ago, a young man fathered a child without ever knowing what became of him. Now 17, his son Rudi returns home hoping to reunite with his family after years spent in an institution. Returning to his mother, he hopes to find acceptance, affection, and most importantly, who his father is, but finds that he is not welcome. Almost by accident, Rudi slips into a casting session. The director of the film is transfixed by his innocence and thinks he has found his lead. But a terrible event soon compromises Rudi’s good intentions. He becomes a hunted murderer, and the director realizes that Rudi, this peculiar and silent boy, is his son and his own monstrous creation. The director now has no other choice but to accompany his son on his inevitable, brutal path and their common search for redemption.
Inspired by Mary Shelley’s classic gothic novel Frankenstein.
Reviews
"Mundruczó is decidedly a master of mise-en-scène (...)"
Norbert Kreutz, LE TEMPS
"Exquisite shotmaking and mounting tension (...) Mundruczó is certainly a talent."
Wesley Morris, BOSTON GLOBE
"Extraordinary stylistic talent (...) radical and fascinating (...)"
Fabien Lemercier, CINEUROPA
"Shines a black light of suffocating beauty."
Jacques Mandelbaum, LE MONDE
"Remarkably filmed (...) a beautiful achievement."
Antoine Guillot, FRANCE CULTURE
"(...) Spectacular visuals (...) Hypnotic (....)"
Odile Tremblay, LE DEVOIR
"Confirms his precise and sober sense for imagery.(...) a captivating atmosphere (...)"
Thierry Chèze, L'EXPRESS
"An amazingly evocative gothic structure, equal parts beautiful and terminally decaying."
Paul Martin, INDIEMOVIESONLINE.COM
"An inspired beginning full of irony (...) a spellbinding finale (...)"
Elodie Leroy, FILMSACTU.COM
" (...) Black as desperation, white as snow, and red as blood (...)"
LE MIDI LIBRE
"(...) fresh and unpredictable (...)"
John Grosch, FRANCE 24
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Trailer
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Kornél Mundruczó

Kornél Mundruczó was born in Hungary in 1975. PLEASANT DAYS, his first feature film, was awarded the Silver Leopard in Locarno in 2002. His second feature film, JOHANNA - a filmic opera adaptation of the story of Joan of Arc - was presented in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2005. DELTA was presented In Competition at Cannes 2008 and was awarded the FIPRESCI prize. His last film TENDER SON: THE FRANKENSTEIN PROJECT premiered in competition at Cannes in 2010.
Filmography
2010 TENDER SON - THE FRANKENSTEIN PROJECT, 105 min.
2008 DELTA, 92 min.
2005 JOHANNA, 83 min.
2005 LOST AND FOUND (collective) "Short Lasting Silence", 20 min.
2004 LITTLE APOCRYPHA NO.2, 15 min.
2003 JOAN OF ARC ON THE NIGHT BUS, 24 min.
2002 LITTLE APOCRYPHA NO.1, 5 min.
2002 PLEASANT DAYS, 85 min.
2001 AFTA, 25 min.
2000 THIS I WISH AND NOTHING MORE, Graduation film, 78 min.
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Cast
Rudolf Frecska - Rudi
Kornél Mundruczó - The director
Lili Monori - The Mother
Kitty Csíkos - Magda
Crew / Technical Info
Crew
Director: Kornél Mundruczó
Script: Kornél Mundruczó, Yvette Biró
Producers: Viktó Petrányi, Susanne Marian, Philippe Bober, Gabriele Kranzelbinder, Gábor Kovács
Production Companies: Proton Cinema, Essential Filmproduktion, Filmpartners, KGP Kranzelbinder Gabriele Production
Director of Photography: Mátyás Erdély
Sound: Gábor Balázs
Editing: Dávid Jancsó
Production Design: Márton Ágh
Costume Design: János Breckl
Music: Philipp E. Kümpel, Andreas Moisa, Gyorgy Kurtag, Peter Zombola
Technical Info
Category: Feature Film
Original Language: Hungarian
Format: 35mm
Screen Ratio: 1:2.39
Speed: 24 fps
Sound: Optical Stereo
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Festivals
PREMIERE
![]() | Cannes 2010, Competition |
MAIN AWARDS
Munich 2010, Special Mention
Sarajevo 2010, Special Jury Award
Sevilla 2010, Special Jury Prize
Sofia 2011, Cinema Today - Masters
MAIN SELECTIONS
Toronto 2010, Contemporary World Cinema
Rotterdam 2011, Spectrum
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Kornél MundruczóKornél Mundruczó was born in Hungary in 1975. PLEASANT DAYS, his first feature film, was awarded the Silver Leopard in Locarno in 2002. His second feature film, JOHANNA - a filmic opera adaptation of the story of Joan of Arc - was presented in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2005. DELTA was presented In Competition at Cannes 2008 and was awarded the FIPRESCI prize. His last film TENDER SON: THE FRANKENSTEIN PROJECT premiered in competition at Cannes in 2010. |




Long ago, a young man fathered a child without ever knowing what became of him. Now 17, his son Rudi returns home hoping to reunite with his family after years spent in an institution. Returning to his mother, he hopes to find acceptance, affection, and most importantly, who his father is, but finds that he is not welcome. Almost by accident, Rudi slips into a casting session. The director of the film is transfixed by his innocence and thinks he has found his lead. But a terrible event soon compromises Rudi’s good intentions. He becomes a hunted murderer, and the director realizes that Rudi, this peculiar and silent boy, is his son and his own monstrous creation. The director now has no other choice but to accompany his son on his inevitable, brutal path and their common search for redemption.
Inspired by Mary Shelley’s classic gothic novel Frankenstein.
"Mundruczó is decidedly a master of mise-en-scène (...)"Norbert Kreutz, LE TEMPS"Exquisite shotmaking and mounting tension (...) Mundruczó is certainly a talent."Wesley Morris, BOSTON GLOBE"Extraordinary stylistic talent (...) radical and fascinating (...)"Fabien Lemercier, CINEUROPA"Shines a black light of suffocating beauty."Jacques Mandelbaum, LE MONDE"Remarkably filmed (...) a beautiful achievement."Antoine Guillot, FRANCE CULTURE"(...) Spectacular visuals (...) Hypnotic (....)"Odile Tremblay, LE DEVOIR
"Confirms his precise and sober sense for imagery.(...) a captivating atmosphere (...)"Thierry Chèze, L'EXPRESS"An amazingly evocative gothic structure, equal parts beautiful and terminally decaying."Paul Martin, INDIEMOVIESONLINE.COM"An inspired beginning full of irony (...) a spellbinding finale (...)"Elodie Leroy, FILMSACTU.COM" (...) Black as desperation, white as snow, and red as blood (...)"LE MIDI LIBRE"(...) fresh and unpredictable (...)"John Grosch, FRANCE 24
Long ago, a young man fathered a child without ever knowing what became of him. Now 17, his son Rudi returns home hoping to reunite with his family after years spent in an institution. Returning to his mother, he hopes to find acceptance, affection, and most importantly, who his father is, but finds that he is not welcome. Almost by accident, Rudi slips into a casting session. The director of the film is transfixed by his innocence and thinks he has found his lead. But a terrible event soon compromises Rudi’s good intentions. He becomes a hunted murderer, and the director realizes that Rudi, this peculiar and silent boy, is his son and his own monstrous creation. The director now has no other choice but to accompany his son on his inevitable, brutal path and their common search for redemption.
Inspired by Mary Shelley’s classic gothic novel Frankenstein.
Rudolf Frecska - Rudi
Kornél Mundruczó - The director
Lili Monori - The Mother
Kitty Csíkos - Magda
Crew
Director: Kornél Mundruczó
Script: Kornél Mundruczó, Yvette Biró
Producers: Viktó Petrányi, Susanne Marian, Philippe Bober, Gabriele Kranzelbinder, Gábor Kovács
Production Companies: Proton Cinema, Essential Filmproduktion, Filmpartners, KGP Kranzelbinder Gabriele Production
Director of Photography: Mátyás Erdély
Sound: Gábor Balázs
Editing: Dávid Jancsó
Production Design: Márton Ágh
Costume Design: János Breckl
Music: Philipp E. Kümpel, Andreas Moisa, Gyorgy Kurtag, Peter Zombola
Technical InfoCategory: Feature FilmOriginal Language: HungarianFormat: 35mmScreen Ratio: 1:2.39Speed: 24 fpsSound: Optical Stereo
PREMIERE
![]() | Cannes 2010, Competition |
MAIN AWARDS
Munich 2010, Special Mention
Sarajevo 2010, Special Jury Award
Sevilla 2010, Special Jury Prize
Sofia 2011, Cinema Today - Masters
MAIN SELECTIONS
Toronto 2010, Contemporary World Cinema
Rotterdam 2011, Spectrum
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