THE RETURN (2024)

Genre: Drama
Director: Uberto Pasolini
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Charlie Plummer, Marwan Kenzari, Claudio Santamaria, Ángela Molina
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Rating: M18 (Nudity and Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 19 December 2024

Synopsis: After 20 years away, Odysseus (Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca. The King has finally returned home but much has changed in his kingdom since he left to fight in the Trojan war. His beloved wife Penelope (Binoche) is now hounded by her many ambitious suitors to choose a new husband, a new king. Their son Telemachus, is facing death at the hands of the suitors who see him as an obstacle. Scarred by his experience of war, he is no longer the mighty warrior his people remember. He is forced to face his past in order to rediscover the strength needed to save his family and win back the love he has lost.

Movie Review:

We did not know much about this movie directed by Italian filmmaker Uberto Pasolini, except that it stars Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, two of the greatest actors during our time. Incidentally, it is also Fiennes and Binoche are co starring in the same movie after The English Patient (1996) helmed by Anthony Minghella and Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights (1992) directed by Peter Kosminsky. So it would be interesting to experience a showcase of great acting on the big screen.

The screenplay by John Collee, Edward Bond and Pasolini himself is based on the last sections of The Odyssey, an ancient epic Greek poem attributed to Homer. This is considered as one of the foundation titles of ancient Greek literature, together with Homer’s other work Illiad.

Let’s get back to the movie before we bore you with history. Fiennes plays Odysseus, a legendary Greek king of Ithaca. When we first see Odysseus, he is in a bad shape. He is washed up on the shores of Ithaca after 20 years of fighting in a war (that’d be the Trojan War for history buffs). The poor man is naked and while some may note Fiennes’ buff appearance, it is a kind of weathered look that suggests the character has gone through a lot of hardship.

It's not a happy homecoming for Odysseus, as his wife Penelope (Binoche) has become a prisoner in her own residence. Their son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) is not happy with how things are being run on the island. Meanwhile, countless men want to be Penelope’s new husband (they think that Odysseus is dead), and naturally, they see Telemachus as a threat. So you can see that things are in a dire situation in this land that Odysseus once ruled.

The movie sees Odysseus edging his way back to the palace before a climatic slaughter of the treacherous men. If you are expecting something dramatic like the Gladiator movies (which are a blend of fact and fiction, with characters based on actual Roman rulers), you may be disappointed.

Pasolini’s film has many talky sequences, and the ones that exceptionally stand out are those featuring Fiennes. You will be captivated by the actor’s dedicated performance, as he effortlessly expresses Odysseus’ suppressed rage and grief through dialogues and body language. One scene has Odysseus agonisingly groveling in soil – it is a performance that wouldn’t have made an impact with a lesser actor.

Binoche delivers a respectful performance as a woman who has suffering silently in the absence of her husband. The French actress plays her character with a vulnerable dignity, and one can sense how emotionally challenging it is to hold it together with nothing in your favour.

Elsewhere, other actors like Marwan Kenzari, Tom Rhys Harries and Amir Wilson and play Odysseus’ allies and foes. Given the setting, you can imagine how the cast members have to stay in shape to wear the ancient Greek robes which proudly show off the men’s physiques.

Every moment in this slow burning drama is engrossing if you are familiar with the work it is based on, and coupled with Fiennes and Binoche’s committed performances, it is an underrated film that you may miss in the crowd of blockbusters.

Movie Rating:

(The slow burner is dramatically intense, and while it may not have the entertainment value of a blockbuster, it is a stripped down drama that deserves your attention)

Review by John Li