THE RETURN movie poster | ©2024 Bleecker Street

Rating: R
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Charlie Plummer, Marwan Kenzani, Claudio Santamaria, Angela Molina
Writers: John Collee, Edward Bond, Uberto Pasolini, based on THE ODYSSEY by Homer
Director: Uberto Pasolini
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Release Date: December 6, 2024

THE RETURN is a dramatization of part of one of the oldest known narratives in Western culture, THE ODYSSEY by Homer, written in the eighth or seventh century BC (per Wikipedia).

This is the story of Odysseus (played here by Ralph Fiennes), King of Ithaca, and his ten-year journey back home after being on the winning side of the Trojan War, which also lasted ten years (and was chronicled by Homer in THE ILIAD). The film is directed by Uberto Pasolini, and written by him, John Collee and Edward Bond.

For those unfamiliar with the story, or who need a refresher, THE RETURN begins with the onscreen information: “After ten years of carnage, the city of Troy has fallen, and the victorious Greeks set sail for home. Years pass. On the isle of Ithaca, Queen Penelope [played by Juliette Binoche] longs for the return of her husband Odysseus. Her son Telemachus [played by Charlie Plummer] waits for the father he never knew, while restless suitors lay waste to the land and press the queen to choose a new king.”

There is no denying the power of Fiennes’s and Binoche’s performances. There’s also no denying the extraordinary physical beauty of the production, which was filmed in Greece and Italy. The outdoor daytime scenery is stunning and timeless, while the indoor and/or night shots look like Renaissance paintings in motion under the glow of Marius Panduru’s gorgeous chiaroscuro cinematography.

THE RETURN has an odd tonal issue. Some of this is due to the plotting. In the original ODYSSEY, Odysseus is famed for his wiliness. But here, Odysseus doesn’t have a grand plan. It’s not that we don’t believe he’s not capable, it’s just that because of his character trajectory, showing his cunning wouldn’t work in this context. Instead, the film relies on his prowess as a warrior. Fiennes has no problem persuading us of this aspect of Odysseus, as the actor is in superb muscular shape for the role. Penelope has strategies of her own, and Binoche is adept at conveying what this is costing her on all levels.

The big matters of suspense are whether Odysseus will reveal himself in time to fend off Penelope’s suitors, and what kept him from coming home for so long after the end of the war. The first we can guess; the second has genuine dramatic punch.

However, because resolving these matters will conclude the movie, THE RETURN stretches and repeats motifs. Even the repellent suitors, who seem more petulant than dangerous, don’t have any major schemes that need thwarting; they try different tactics, but we’re never too worried they’re going to succeed.

THE RETURN doesn’t want to be too contemporary, which is entirely understandable. But it’s hard for modern writers to both convincingly and emotively in a style that matches the scope and the era of this type of subject matter. So, the dialogue is careful and somewhat sparse. Occasionally, there are lines that are genuinely profound. But more often, they simply suffice, not sounding wrong, but not engaging us, either.

We are persuaded that both Odysseus and Penelope have suffered tremendously in their separate ways. THE RETURN is worth seeing for Fiennes, for Binoche, and for its look. But it seldom has the epic feel that seems to have been one of its goals.

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