The Return (2024 film)

Last updated

The Return
The Return (2024) poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Uberto Pasolini
Screenplay by
Based on The Odyssey
by Homer
Produced by
  • Uberto Pasolini
  • Roberto Sesso
  • Giorgos Karnavas
  • Konstantinos Kontovravkis
  • Stéphane Moatti
  • Romain Le Grand
  • Vivien Aslanian
  • Marco Pacchioni
Starring
CinematographyMarius Panduru
Edited byDavid Charap
Music by Rachel Portman
Production
companies
Distributed by01 Distribution (Italy)
Release date
  • September 7, 2024 (2024-09-07)(TIFF)
Running time
116 minutes
Countries
  • Italy
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$766,044 [1] [2]

The Return is a 2024 drama film directed by Uberto Pasolini and starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. The film is a retelling of the last sections of Homer's Odyssey as adapted by Edward Bond, John Collee, and Pasolini.

Contents

It premiered in the Gala section at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2024, and was theatrically released on December 6, 2024, in the United States by Bleecker Street.

Plot

Following introductory on-screen words about himself and the Trojan War, Odysseus washes up naked on the shores of his home island Ithaca after twenty years fighting in and returning from the War. Scarred mentally and physically by his experiences, he is unrecognizable from the mighty warrior-king that left decades before. His wife Penelope is now a prisoner in her own palace, hounded by many suitors to choose a new husband that would take the throne. Odysseus and Penelope's son Telemachus is facing death at the hands of those who see him as a threat to their ambitions. Odysseus is forced to face his past in order to save his family and win back that which he has lost. [3]

Penelope weaves her elderly father-in-law's burial shroud on her loom, he being close to death. She tells her crude, greedy suitors she will not choose one of them until the shroud is woven. However, every night she partially unweaves the shroud. Penelope often catches her maids having sex with the suitors.

The suitors harass Telemachus, who never knew his father. Two suitors find a man in the sea, but say no more suitors are needed, so throw him back. Back on land, the same suitors go hunting a girl; finding her absent from her boyfriend's tent, they rape and kill him. Chief suitor, well-dressed Antinous, presses Penelope to marry, but she refuses.

Swineherd Eumaeus discovers Odysseus ashore and brings him home. Dispirited Odysseus relates the horrors of the War, which linger with him constantly.

Odysseus' father dies; the suitors press Penelope to marry, insisting Odysseus is dead too. She says she will make the shroud her wedding gown, but says she will choose a suitor soon, privately wondering how long she will survive that.

Eumaeus takes Odysseus to the palace; Odysseus' dog recognizes him. He calls himself an old War soldier and begs for food; most suitors abuse him. They force him to fight a huge man, but Odysseus kills him. Penelope speaks to Odysseus, but ends up sending him off. However, Odysseus' old nursemaid, Eurycleia, discovers his identity while bathing him, feeling a scar behind his leg. He bids her be silent.

Telemachus, who sailed to another port and faced danger even there, returns, to mortal threat; the suitors hunt him with dogs. Odysseus runs into him as two suitors approach, but Telemachus will not stop talking, so Odysseus knocks him out, then kills the two suitors. Odysseus, Telemachus, Eumaeus, and friends flee behind a water-pool, which throws the hounds off their scent. Telemachus is not happy to discover Odysseus is his father, who did not return for decades despite the worsening economic and political situation on Ithaca, and Odysseus' failure to bring Ithacan warriors home, but resigns himself to it.

Antinous discovers Penelope unraveling her weaving, and forces a decision. Odysseus' crew hears Penelope will be deciding the next day. They go to the palace.

Penelope tells the suitors her choice is to make them compete with Odysseus' old bow, seeing if they can shoot an arrow through multiple axe-heads' holes as he did. None of them can even string it. Odysseus offers to try, and strings it and shoots the arrow through the axe-heads. He then shoots the suitors, who panic. Loyal servants close the doors to prevent escape.

When his arrows run out, he remorselessly kills the suitors in hand-to-hand combat. Telemachus is tempted to flee, but helps his father fight. Antinous surrenders, and Penelope, desirous of peace and tired of male violence, bids Telemachus let him live, but he kills him, horrifying his mother.

Telemachus insists on sailing away to find himself and his destiny. Odysseus sees Penelope uses an unfamiliar bed; he ascends to a hidden room, and finds their old bed, which she had sealed away after he left for the War. Penelope tells Odysseus that she has much to tell him; Odysseus replies he will do the same. She says they have much to forget, in order to move on; they conclude that they first must remember what happened, then they can forget. An image of Odysseus' blood washed away in a basin, is followed by an image of Telemachus' ship asail on the sea.

Cast

Production

Development

The project was announced in April 2022. The script for the film was written by John Collee and Edward Bond. The film's director, Uberto Pasolini, and James Clayton produced the film. HanWay Films began handling international sales and took the project to the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. [5] In February 2023 Bleecker Street were announced to have picked up North American rights and have Andrew Karpen and Kent Sanderson executive producing on the project. Roberto Sessa for Picomedia with Rai Cinema, Giorgos Karnavas and Konstantinos Kontovravkis for Heretic and Stéphane Moatti, Romain Le Grand, Vivien Aslanian and Marco Pacchioni for Kabo Films and Marvelous Production were also revealed as producers on the Italy-U.S.-Greece-U.K.-France co-production. [6]

Casting

The film marks the third time Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche have appeared together following the 1996 Oscar winner The English Patient and 1992's Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights . [7] In February 2023, Charlie Plummer and Marwan Kenzari were added to the cast. [8] [9]

Filming

The film began production in Greece in the spring of 2023, with principal photography in the regions of Corfu and the Peloponnese, before continuing on to locations in Italy. [10] Filming had wrapped in Corfu by June 2023. [11]

Release

In July 2024, The Return was announced as part of the Gala section at the Toronto International Film Festival scheduled for September 2024. [12] The film was theatrically released on December 6, 2024, in the United States by Bleecker Street. [13]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 72% of 36 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10.The website's consensus reads: "The Return removes the mythology from Odysseus' homecoming along with some of the fun, but Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche's terrific performances keep this drama absorbing." [14] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [15]

Katie Walsh in the Los Angeles Times calls the movie "an acting showcase", [16] with Jeannette Catsoulis in the New York Times also praising strong performances by Fiennes and Binoche. [17] Reviewers, including Corey Atad in the Toronto Star, noted the Shakespearean quality of the drama. [18]

Related Research Articles

<i>Odyssey</i> Epic poem attributed to Homer

The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. Like the Iliad, the Odyssey is divided into 24 books. It follows the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the Trojan War. After the war, which lasted ten years, his journey from Troy to Ithaca, via Africa and southern Europe, lasted for ten additional years during which time he encountered many perils and all of his crewmates were killed. In his absence, Odysseus was assumed dead, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus had to contend with a group of unruly suitors who were competing for Penelope's hand in marriage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odysseus</span> Legendary Greek king of Ithaca

In Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus, also known by the Latin variant Ulysses, is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in that same epic cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penelope</span> Wife of Odysseus in Greek mythology

Penelope is a character in Homer's Odyssey. She was the queen of Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and Asterodia. Penelope is known for her fidelity to her husband Odysseus, despite the attention of more than a hundred suitors during his absence. In one source, Penelope's original name was Arnacia or Arnaea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telemachus</span> Mythological son of Odysseus

In Greek mythology, Telemachus is the son of Odysseus and Penelope, who are central characters in Homer's Odyssey. When Telemachus reached manhood, he visited Pylos and Sparta in search of his wandering father. On his return to Ithaca, he found that Odysseus had reached home before him. Then father and son slew the suitors who had gathered around Penelope. According to later tradition, Telemachus married Circe after Odysseus's death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eumaeus</span> Friend of Odysseus in the Odyssey

In Greek mythology, Eumaeus was Odysseus' slave, swineherd, and friend. His father, Ctesius, son of Ormenus, was king of an island called Syra, although it has also been suggested that Eumaeus may have referred to Syracuse, Sicily.

In Greek mythology, Eupeithes was the father of Antinous, the leader of the suitors of Penelope. After his son's death at the hands of Odysseus, Eupeithes tried to revolt against his rule. He was killed by Odysseus's father, Laertes. Evidently, he had forgotten the favor Odysseus had done for him years before when he committed a piratical raid on Cephallenia. Odysseus protected him from vengeful Cephallenians who wanted to kill him. Yet he let his son lead the suitors in destroying Odysseus's home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurycleia (nurse of Odysseus)</span>

In Greek mythology, Eurycleia, or Euryclea, is the daughter of Ops and granddaughter of Peisenor, as well as the wet-nurse of Odysseus.

In Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, Phemius, son of Terpes/Terpius, is an Ithacan poet who performs narrative songs in the house of the absent Odysseus.

<i>Telemachy</i> First part of the "Odyssey"

The Telemachy is a term traditionally applied to the first four books of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. They are named so because, just as the Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus, they tell the story of Odysseus's son Telemachus as he journeys from home for the first time in search of news about his missing father.

<i>The Odyssey</i> (1997 miniseries) 1997 television miniseries directed by Andrei Konchalovsky

The Odyssey is a 1997 American mythology–adventure television miniseries based on the ancient Greek epic poem by Homer, the Odyssey. Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and co-produced by Hallmark Entertainment and American Zoetrope, the miniseries aired in two parts beginning on May 18, 1997, on NBC. It was filmed in Malta, Turkey, parts of England and many other places around the Mediterranean, where the story takes place. The cast includes Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Irene Papas, Isabella Rossellini, Bernadette Peters, Eric Roberts, Geraldine Chaplin, Jeroen Krabbé, Christopher Lee and Vanessa Williams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antinous of Ithaca</span> Greek mythical character

In the Epic Cycle, Antinous or Antinoös, was the Ithacan son of Eupeithes, best known for his role in Homer's Odyssey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philoetius</span> Character in Greek mythology

Philoetius is a character in Greek mythology who plays a significant role in Homer's Odyssey, aiding Odysseus, Telemachus, and Eumaeus in their slaughter of the suitors of Penelope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Returns from Troy</span> Greek myths about the warriors voyages home

The Returns from Troy are the stories of how the Greek leaders returned after their victory in the Trojan War. Many Achaean heroes did not return to their homes, but died or founded colonies outside the Greek mainland. The most famous returns are those of Odysseus, whose wanderings are narrated in the Odyssey, and Agamemnon, whose murder at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra was portrayed in Greek tragedy.

Home Sweet Homer is a 1976 musical with a book by Roland Kibbee and Albert Marre, lyrics by Charles Burr and Forman Brown, and music by Mitch Leigh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suitors of Penelope</span> Group of characters from Homers Odyssey

In Greek mythology, the suitors of Penelope are one of the main subjects of Homer's Odyssey.

<i>The Odyssey</i> (1968 miniseries) 1968 multi-national TV series or program

The Odyssey is an eight-episode European TV miniseries broadcast on RAI in 1968 and based on Homer's Odyssey. An Italian, Yugoslavian, German and French coproduction, it was directed by Franco Rossi, assisted by Piero Schivazappa and Mario Bava; the cast includes Bekim Fehmiu as Odysseus and Irene Papas as Penelope, Samson Burke as the Cyclops, as well as Barbara Bach as Nausicaa, and Gérard Herter. Several critics consider the series to be a masterful representation of the ancient world.

Melanthius, the son of Dolius, is a minor character in Homer's Odyssey: Odysseus's disloyal goatherd. In contrast, Odysseus's cowherd Philoetius and swineherd Eumaeus have both remained loyal to Odysseus during his twenty years of wanderings, as have Melanthius's father and six brothers.

In Greek mythology, Eurymachus was an Ithacan nobleman and one of the two leading suitors of Penelope, the other being Antinous.

<i>Odysseus, Verbrecher</i> Play by Christoph Ransmayr

Odysseus, Verbrecher. Schauspiel einer Heimkehr is a play by the Austrian writer Christoph Ransmayr, first performed in 2010. It is based on an episode toward the end of Homer's Odyssey, where Odysseus returns to his kingdom and slaughters his wife's suitors, who are called reformers in the play. Odysseus, Verbrecher was commissioned for the Ruhr.2010 campaign as one of six new plays based on the Odyssey.

References

  1. ↑ "The Return (2024)". Nash Information Services. Box Office Mojo . Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ "The Return (2024)". Nash Information Services. The Numbers . Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  3. ↑ Ravindran, Manori (April 28, 2023). "'English Patient' Stars Juliette Binoche, Ralph Fiennes Will Reunite in 'The Return,' a Gritty Take on 'The Odyssey'". Variety. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  4. ↑ Scheck, Frank (September 11, 2024). "'The Return' Review: Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche Shine in an 'Odyssey' Adaptation That Burns Too Slowly". The Hollywood Reporter .
  5. ↑ Goldbart, Max (April 28, 2022). "'The English Patient' Stars Ralph Fiennes & Juliette Binoche Reunite For Uberto Pasolini's 'The Return'; HanWay To Launch Sales In Cannes". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  6. ↑ Echebiri, Makouchi (February 16, 2023). "Ralph Fiennes to Star as Odysseus in 'The Odyssey'-Inspired Epic 'The Return'". Collider. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  7. ↑ Remley, Hilary (April 28, 2022). "Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche Join Uberto Pasolini's 'The Return'". Collider. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  8. ↑ Lodderhose, Diana (February 15, 2023). "Bleecker Street Acquires Ralph Fiennes-Juliette Binoche Starrer 'The Return' For North America". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  9. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (February 17, 2023). "' The Old Guard' Star Marwan Kenzari Joins Ralph Fiennes & Juliette Binoche In 'The Return'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  10. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (February 15, 2023). "Bleecker Street Takes North American Rights to 'The Return' Starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  11. ↑ "THE RETURN: Filming of series about Odysseus wraps up in Corfu". Greek City Times. June 1, 2023. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  12. ↑ D'alessandro, Anthony (July 22, 2024). "TIFF Galas & Special Presentations Lineup Includes World Premieres from Angelina Jolie, Mike Leigh, Gia Coppola; Starry Pics with Jennifer Lopez, Lily James, Dave Bautista; Int'l Premieres 'Conclave' & 'Piece by Piece', More". Deadline.
  13. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 18, 2024). "Ralph Fiennes & Juliette Binoche Reteam 'The Return' Sets December Theatrical Release Via Bleecker Street". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  14. ↑ "The Return". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 6, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  15. ↑ "The Return". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  16. ↑ Walsh, Katie (December 6, 2024). "Review: A new take on 'The Odyssey,' 'The Return' finds its way home slowly, just like its hero". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  17. ↑ Catsoulis, Jeannette (December 8, 2024). "'The Return' Review: Homer, for the Holidays". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  18. ↑ Atad, Corey (December 6, 2024). "'The Return' review: A buff Ralph Fiennes goes on a rugged cinematic odyssey". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
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