Tenderness (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Lorenzo became emotionally detached from his children Elena and Saverio after they grew up. During a conversation with Michela, he admitted that while he loved them deeply when they were small, that love faded as they grew older. Michela suggested this detachment might be a psychological defense against the pain of watching his children suffer, a theory that deeply unsettled him.

• Lorenzo
• Elena
• Saverio
• estrangement
• emotional detachment
• children

The precise motivation behind Fabio's massacre is not fully explained in the film, but several clues suggest his psychological state. Lorenzo notices that Fabio struggles to bond with his own children, mirroring the emotional distance Lorenzo experienced with his own family. The tragedy occurs on the same Sunday that Lorenzo confesses his own pattern of detachment to Michela, suggesting the evening may have been triggered by Fabio's own crisis or despair.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Lorenzo observes Fabio's inability to connect with his children, a parallel to Lorenzo's own emotional distance.

• Fabio
• massacre
• children
• suicide
• family tragedy
• psychological breakdown

After the tragedy, it was revealed that Lorenzo is not Michela's biological father. This revelation, combined with evidence of his past conduct as a lawyer, prompted the authorities to issue a restraining order against him. The order suggests the investigation into his relationship with Michela uncovered concerning circumstances beyond simple emotional connection.

• Lorenzo
• restraining order
• Michela
• legal order
• investigation

During his career as a practicing lawyer, Lorenzo won many cases, but he also aided false invalids and engaged in various schemes that cheated the state. These past sins surfaced after the tragedy with Michela, exposing a darker chapter in his life that he had kept hidden. This revelation adds to his sense of guilt and complicates his attempts at redemption.

• Lorenzo
• lawyer
• fraud
• state cheating
• past crimes

After Fabio killed his children and himself, Michela survived but was hospitalized in critical condition. Lorenzo began visiting her daily, acting as a protective figure and offering his presence during her recovery. His visits represented an attempt to provide the warmth and connection he had failed to offer his own family, and to honor the bond they had developed before the tragedy.

Foreshadowing: Michela had been the one to draw Lorenzo out of his isolation with her kindness and affection.

• Lorenzo
• Michela
• hospital visits
• protection
• compassion

Michela died in the hospital from injuries sustained during the massacre. Though she survived the initial attack by Fabio, she eventually succumbed to her wounds. Her death marked the final severing of the fragile emotional ties Lorenzo had formed, leaving him devastated and prompting him to withdraw from his home.

• Michela
• death
• hospital
• injuries
• massacre

After Lorenzo admitted to Michela that his love for his children faded as they grew up, he abruptly left the house that Sunday evening. This departure signaled his growing impulse to detach from emotional connections, perhaps fleeing from the uncomfortable truth Michela had revealed about his psychological defense mechanisms. The very same evening, Fabio's tragedy occurred.

• Lorenzo
• confession
• Sunday
• departure
• emotional retreat

Aurora is Fabio's mother, a paranoid woman who struggled to maintain healthy relationships even in her youth. Lorenzo encounters Aurora in the hospital corridor during Michela's hospitalization. Her presence broadens the network of people affected by Fabio's tragedy and adds another layer of psychological complexity to the story's exploration of family dysfunction.

• Aurora
• Fabio's mother
• paranoia
• family
• hospital

At the end of the film, Lorenzo attends court where his daughter Elena works as an interpreter. After the session ends, Elena finds her father sitting on a bench outside. They sit together in quiet companionship, and after a long pause, Lorenzo reaches out and shakes her hand. This restrained gesture represents a fragile, hopeful moment of reconciliation between the estranged father and daughter.

Foreshadowing: The entire film traces Lorenzo's journey from isolation toward reconnection, beginning with his meeting Michela.

• Lorenzo
• Elena
• reconciliation
• handshake
• court
• ending

Michela became important to Lorenzo because she represented the warmth and human connection he had lost. After his heart attack and hospitalization, he was living in isolation, even refusing to speak with his children. Michela's spontaneous charm and affectionate presence gradually melted his cynical exterior, helping him rediscover joy and a sense of belonging he thought he had lost.

Foreshadowing: From their first encounter when Michela encouraged him to smile, she began breaking through Lorenzo's emotional walls.

• Michela
• Lorenzo
• connection
• friendship
• warmth
• neighbor