After 20 years Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife held prisoner by suitors vying to be king and his son facing death at their hands. To win back his family and all he has lost, Odysseus must rediscover his strength.
Though it uses Homer’s “The Odyssey” as its basis, Uberto Pasolini’s “The Return” takes a more realistic approach to the classic epic poem. Gone are the meddling gods, as well as the fantastic encounters with mythical creatures and extended adventures. The focus instead is on the affect warfare has not simply on the warriors caught up in it, but on the families and societies they leave behind. And what the film may lack in spectacle, it makes up in emotional resonance, this tale of grief, loss and redemption more meaningful as a result.
Covering books 13-24 of the story, the movie picks up with Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) having returned to Ithaca. Washed up on a barren shore, he’s taken in by a kindly farmer (Claudio Santamaria) who, not recognizing the long-absent king, informs him of the current state of the land. What with the ruler presumed dead, a group of rapacious suitors have taken up residence on the estate of Queen Penelope (Juliette Binoche), all vying for her hand. Growing impatient over her repeated refusals to take any of their hands in marriage, the men have taken to ridiculing her son, Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) and openly depleting their stores.
The strained relationships within the family and the emotional damage each are dealing with is front and center of the narrative. Penelope’s resentment towards Odysseus is compounded by her love and grief for him as well. Initially understanding of his duty to fight, she’s grown bitter over his long absence, questioning his purpose and the cost it’s taken on them. Content to remain alone, her surprise upon realizing her husband is still alive soon gives way to a justifiable, angry rant directed at him.
Telemachus has come to regard her as a fool, clinging to the notion his father is still alive after many years, resentful as well that he has been raised without his guidance and love. Living in the shadow of this great man has only led to further bitterness on his part. Scoffed at over his own inaction, the lack of witnessing Odysseus’ character in action has hobbled him. His ire towards those who mock him as well as his father is to be expected.
As for the king, he is surely not the man he once was. He does not immediately step forth to reclaim throne for he does not his wife to see what he’s become. More beast than man, he recognizes how he’s devolved, ashamed of his current condition and unsure he can ever return to who he was. When Penelope asks why men cannot find their way home after war, he response that, “For some, war becomes home,” powerfully sums him up. The trauma he has witnessed will not soon be put to rest and the effect it has on him is in full bloom during the film’s bloody third act.
Pasolini’s pacing is very deliberate, almost to a fault at times. Scenes run longer than necessary and dramatic pauses become pregnant ones, draining some moments of their impact. Of course, Fiennes and Binoche keep us absorbed throughout, the screen veterans conveying so much by doing so little, the emotional investment they make in their characters providing a degree of relatability that helps us weather the movie’s slower sections.
As with all classic stories, “The Odyssey” continues to resonate through the ages as it deals with universal themes. Yet, while previous versions of the story have focused on deeds of heroism, acts of treachery and displays of faithfulness, Pasolini digs deeper. “The Return” looks at the cost of these actions, the devastation that ensues, both on a human and social level, when a war takes place. While the impetus for such acts may initially seem justified, the ultimate price is only realized once the carnage has ceased. For some, there is little to return to, and what does remain proves too damaged to repair.
3 Stars
