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 have acted together in a film.
They have previously worked together on The English Patient and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.. This treatise focused on immersing the viewer in the multifactorial pain and suffering of Penelope and Odysseus after Odysseus returns home to Ithaca.
face returning from active duty, including PTSD and other mental health problems, returning to their former lives with family and society, flashbacks of both endured and inflicted memories and pains, and resulting inner change that is irreversible. The Return is powered by a great cast to allow the viewer to experience this rollercoaster ride of the two main characters to remarkable heights, the latter due to the unique and special resilience of both Penelope and Odysseus during this difficult time in their lives.
In fact, the two are kept fairly separate for most of the build-up, which only makes the catharsis more intense in the more intense, thriller-like later part of an otherwise slower-burning film. Binoche is the perfect choice for Penelope, as the viewer can be tricked a little into feeling and hoping that the two will meet again in the same way they were close throughout The English Patient, and Pasolini uses that to add tension to this piece for those whose memories of The English Patient are vivid.
Check out our list of exciting new films from this year’s film festivals, including Venice, TIFF, New York Film Festival and more.