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Chronology

After 20 years of absence, Odysseus decides to return

The king has finally returned home, but much has changed in his kingdom since he left to fight in the Trojan War. For the third time, Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche act together in a film.

They previously worked together on Emily Brontë’s The English Patient and Hurricane Heights

Focused on immersing the viewer in the multifactorial pain and suffering of Penelope and Odysseus during Odysseus’ return home to Ithaca, this discussion explores in a fairly systematic way the challenges faced by many soldiers when they return home after active service, including PTSD and other mental health issues, reintegration into their former life with family and society, and the return of memories and pain suffered and inflicted, and the resulting internal change that is irreversible. The Return is driven by great casting that allows the viewer to live through this rollercoaster ride in which two key protagonists reach significant heights, the latter thanks to the unique and special resilience of Penelope and Odysseus in this difficult period of their lives, and without the support of each other.

Indeed, the two are quite separated for much of the build-up, which only makes the catharsis more powerful in the more intense, thriller-like later section of the otherwise slower-paced film

Fiennes brings his unique style of portraying suffering to this work, a great extension of his wonderful skills from his adjacent depictions of pain and anguish in Spider and The End of the Affair. Binoche is the perfect choice for Penelope, as the viewer could be tricked into feeling and hoping that the two would reunite in a similar way to how they were close during The English Patient, and Pasolini takes advantage of this to build additional tension in this work in those whose memory of the English Patient is vivid.

This is a great and highly relevant work that must be experienced!

Check out our list of exciting new films from this year’s film festivals, including Venice, TIFF, the New York Film Festival, and more.