In writing the above summary headline to this post I thought I should first verify the definition of the word 'understated', and in doing so, to my relief, I read that definition as "achieving its effect through restraint, subtlety, and good taste” and that to a word summarises Tender Mercies. In a film whose subject-matter could so easily have given occasion for shouting, screaming, discord and violence, Tender Mercies instead manages to communicate a redemptive message through subtleties in acting, and the things that are left unsaid, rather then what is said. The pace of the film is also a welcome notch lower than that of most of Hollywood's output; which in itself lends the film to be seen much more as art, rather than as simple story-telling. The film was nominated for 4 of the 'Big 5' Oscars; namely Best Director, Best Picture, Best Lead Acting by a male, and Best Screenplay; for which it deservedly won the last two of those. Though a little marred by a couple of blasphemous utterances, the film's redemptive message of accepting God's graces, mercies, and even his at times apparently inexplicable will, is one that resonates strongly.