Tender and Rare is available on Netflix as of May 9, 2026. It hit French cinemas on January 19, 2022, and this Christopher Thompson romantic comedy teams up Géraldine Pailhas, Arnaud Ducret, and Alison Wheeler for a culture clash between fashion journalism and the local butcher shop.
Tender and Rare
Film | 2022
Theatrical release: January 19, 2022
Available on Netflix since May 9, 2026
Comedy, romance | Runtime: 1h31
Directed by Christopher Thompson | Screenplay: Christopher Thompson, Fabrice Roger-Lacan
Starring Géraldine Pailhas, Arnaud Ducret, Alison Wheeler
Original title: Tendre et saignant
Country: France
Charly, the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine, inherits the family butcher shop after her father’s death. She initially plans to sell the business, until she meets Martial, the skilled butcher who works there and who wants to keep the shop open. Their initial clash paves the way for a romantic comedy built on two worlds that seem irreconcilable.
With Tendre et saignant, Christopher Thompson delivers his second feature after Bus Palladium. Working with Fabrice Roger-Lacan, he imagines a heroine from a contemporary, sophisticated Parisian milieu who is forced to confront her family roots in a neighborhood shop. The film thus plays on the contrast between the world of fashion, the transmission of artisanal craft, and personal reinvention.
The decision to set the story in a butcher shop reflects the director’s fascination with artisanal trades and the social role of neighborhood shops. To prep the film, the crew consulted Paris-based master butcher Hugo Desnoyer, who advised the production and guided the actors in mastering the craft’s techniques.
The main set was built in the Marais district of Paris, using salvaged elements from former butcher shops to give the location a convincingly authentic look on screen. Christopher Thompson wanted to capture both a traditional butcher’s shop and its evolution toward a more contemporary aesthetic. The film also features several actual working butchers.
Headlined by Géraldine Pailhas and Arnaud Ducret, Tendre et saignant brings together Alison Wheeler, Stéphane De Groodt, Antoine Gouy and Jean-François Stévenin. The score, composed by Arthur Simonini, nods to the pacing of classic French comedies to underscore the clashes, reconciliations, and emotional bursts of the characters.
This Netflix arrival lets audiences discover or rewatch the film in streaming, after its theatrical release. Tendre et saignant may appeal to fans of French romantic comedies, stories of reinvention, and films where the workplace doubles as a backdrop for romance.
Trailer for Tendre et saignant:
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