To win back his family and everything he has lost, Odysseus must regain his strength
Story
After 20 years, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife held captive by suitors who want to be king and his son under threat of death. Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche are starring together for the third time in a film.
Odysseus: For some, war becomes their home
EnglishThey previously worked together in Wuthering Heights (1992) and Engleski pacijent (1996). Penelope: How can men find their way to war but not back?
In fact, the two characters are kept apart for most of the build-up, which only makes the catharsis more powerful in the more intense, thriller-like final part of the otherwise slower film
Focused on immersing the viewer in the multi-factorial pain and suffering of Penelope and Odysseus upon Odysseus’ return to Ithaca, this treatise seemed to explore quite systematically the challenges many soldiers face upon returning from active duty, including PTSD and other mental health issues, reintegration into their old lives with family and society, and flashbacks of memories and pain both endured and inflicted, and the resulting inner change that is irreversible. The Return is fueled by an excellent casting choice to allow the viewer to experience this roller coaster ride that the two main protagonists ride to significant heights, the latter due to the unique and particular endurance of Penelope and Odysseus in this difficult time of their lives, and without the support of the other.
It’s a terrific and very relevant work that must be experienced!
Fiennes brings his unique style of depicting 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 Liaison. Binoche is the perfect choice for Penelope, as the viewer might be somewhat fooled into feeling and hoping that the two will reunite in the same way they were close throughout The English Patient, and Pasolini exploits this to create an added tension in this work for those whose memories of The English Patient are vivid.