Łagodny potwór - projekt Frankenstein / Szelid Termetes - A Frankenstein Terv
Hungary, Germany, Austria 2010 / 105’
director: Kornél Mundruczó
screenplay: Kornél Mundruczó, Yvette Biró
cinematography: Matyas Erdely
editing: David Jancsó
music: Philipp E. Kumpel, Andreas Moisa, Gyorgy Kurtag, Peter Zombola
cast: Rudolf Frecska, Kornél Mundruczó, Lili Monori, Kitty Csikos
producer: Viktória Petranyi, Susanne Marian, Philippe Bober, Gabriele Kranzelbinder, Gabor Kovacs produkcja: Proton Cinema, Essential Filmproduktion, Filmpartners, KGP Kranzelbinder Gabriele Production
awards: Sarajevo Film Festival 2010 - Jury Special Mention, Filmfest Munich 2010 - Jury Arri-Zeiss Award, 42. Magyar Filmszemle 2011 - best director and cinematographer
polish distributor: Stowarzyszenie Nowe Horyzonty
release date: 29.04.2011
One of the favourites of the New Horizons audience, Kornel Mundruczó, returns with a ruthless, intensely modernised, and revaluated version of the Mary Shelley classic: Frankenstein. Taking place in a hostilely snowy, even apocalyptic scenery, Tender Son is partly a confession spiced with autobiographic references and partly a courageous attempt at an answer to the question of what/who the monster is – whose name we use to separate ourselves from the inhuman, the unnatural, the primitive. A product of our vanity? Stupidity, irresponsibility? Impersonating a moviemaker who has to confront his son abandoned long ago, Mundruczó beats his breast and assumes the responsibility for his work. It is not only the poor soon, now twisted and impulsive, but also – rather perfidiously – an art unto itself. It is because the symbolical birth of the monster takes place in the course of the casting staged by the director character; his fragile and unsure of himself son, when forced to show his feelings, commits a murder. Other murders follow the first one and are similarly nonsensical and resulting from compulsive reflexes of an individual not adapted to enter into appropriate relations with the world.
Piotr Pluciński

Kornél Mundruczó
Born in 1975, Mundruszó graduated from the Hungarian Movie Institute and became famous shortly afterwards thanks to one of his first short-feature films titled Afta. After the success at festivals in Locarno, Cottbus and in Krakow, Mundruczó quickly became the favourite of selectors of the Cannes festival where he has been invited regularly since 2004. Today, he is one of the most important and recognized Hungarian moviemakers also known to the Polish audience: his one but last movie, Delta, had its cinematic first night in 2009.
Filmpography
1998 Minöségét megörzi (kr. m. / short film)
2000 Nincsen nekem vagyam semmi / This Is I Wish and Nothing More
2002 Kilka pogodnych dni / Szep napok / Pleasant Days
2005 Joanna / Johanna
2008 Delta
2010 Szelíd teremtés - A Frankenstein-terv / Tender Son – The Frankenstein Project