The Return
2004 ‘Возвращение’ Directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev
Synopsis
It tells the story of two Russian boys whose father suddenly returns home after a 12-year absence. He takes the boys on a holiday to a remote island on a lake that turns into a test of manhood of almost mythic proportions. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
Cast
Popular reviews
More-
30 Countries, 30 Days.
Day 6Country: Russia
Time Period: present
Theme: Fathers and Sons, the demand for respect without earning it
Style of Subtitle: Soft white. The subtitles annoying came on screen about a half second after person spoke, sometimes words from previous line were still on screen while another character began speaking. Very distracting.
Funniest / Oddest Subtitle: "Squirt", "No, <you guys> got the wrong place!"
What did I learn about the country: There's rickety tall structures to climb
Coincidental relation to last country I watched: A contrast - Romania has one of the lowest divorce rates, Russia has the highest.
I heard there's an American remake planned: Starring Russell Crowe and two of the kids from Tree… -
The World Is More Than Enough - 30 Countries In 30 Days Challenge (2 / 30) - Russia
As much as I was surprised by my last dabble in Russian cinema, the haunting and absolutely splendid How I Ended This Summer, I was disappointed and frustrated by The Return in almost equal amounts.
This tale of two young brothers who end up on an unexpected and unpredictable voyage through the Russian wilderness by a father who turns up on their doorstep unannounced 12 years after he disappeared from their lives is, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, a slow-burner. That part is what I was more than prepared for and I actually welcome such an approach. Slow films are absolutely…
-
Letterboxd Festival 8
Andrey Zvyagintsev’s The Return is an enigmatic coming-of-age drama about two brothers and the return of their estranged father. Absent for 12-years, the father is little more than a stranger but the brothers have very different reactions to his unexpected reappearance. Whereas the eldest welcomes his new role model, wanting to please and be just like him, the youngest brother is mistrusting and resentful both of his absence and his questionable style of parenting.
Shot in cool blues and greys, the film is oppressive yet beautiful. The stillness of the camera allows you to take in every detail whilst the deliberate pacing heightens the film’s palpable tension and sense of impending doom. The relationship between the trio…
-
There are some films that are open-ended with unresolved plot elements that I still think are great. The Return isn't one of them. It's the story of two brothers whose absentee father shows up one day. They know almost nothing about this humorless and fairly quiet man, but he takes them on a trip to go fishing.
As they find out his gruff seemingly uncaring parenting style, he takes them on some unexplained detours. We never find out why- if it has something to do with his occupation or what. There are no expositional conversations between the father and any other adults, and he never tells the boys anything about himself. So it is not surprising that Ivan, the younger…
-
I've seen a lot of movies, but just thinking about this strucks me. I can't really explain the feeling but it's definitely my favorite movie ever.
-
Perhaps I entered this Russian film with too much enthusiasm given what I had read about it, but I must say I was somewhat disappointed. It started well enough, but became increasingly difficult to stay with as it went along. Two young boys' father -- who they only know from an old photograph -- shows up and takes them on a road trip and then a boat trip to what he calls his own private island. The eldest does his best to emotionally reunite with his father while the youngest sees the man for what the audience sees him as -- a selfish, mean bloke who doesn't seem to care about his boys at all. There are some segments that are really engrossing, but the film can't keep up with those moments and falls flat until it ends with a shocking but melodramatic climax.
Recent reviews
More-
30 Countries, 30 Days.
Day 6Country: Russia
Time Period: present
Theme: Fathers and Sons, the demand for respect without earning it
Style of Subtitle: Soft white. The subtitles annoying came on screen about a half second after person spoke, sometimes words from previous line were still on screen while another character began speaking. Very distracting.
Funniest / Oddest Subtitle: "Squirt", "No, <you guys> got the wrong place!"
What did I learn about the country: There's rickety tall structures to climb
Coincidental relation to last country I watched: A contrast - Romania has one of the lowest divorce rates, Russia has the highest.
I heard there's an American remake planned: Starring Russell Crowe and two of the kids from Tree… -
The World Is More Than Enough - 30 Countries In 30 Days Challenge (2 / 30) - Russia
As much as I was surprised by my last dabble in Russian cinema, the haunting and absolutely splendid How I Ended This Summer, I was disappointed and frustrated by The Return in almost equal amounts.
This tale of two young brothers who end up on an unexpected and unpredictable voyage through the Russian wilderness by a father who turns up on their doorstep unannounced 12 years after he disappeared from their lives is, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, a slow-burner. That part is what I was more than prepared for and I actually welcome such an approach. Slow films are absolutely…
-
Very eerie, interesting and tense.
-
[C+]
-
Two boys go on a road trip with their estranged father. There's a lot I admire about this film. The direction is very good and there are a lot of striking images shown throughout. I also like the deliberately slow pacing and all the actors were quite good. The only downside is this is all to a story that isn't very interesting or memorable. Ultimately it's the script which keeps this from being anymore than good.
-
Reminiscent of Tarkovsky in mood and cinematography. Oedipal coming of age/loss of innocence tale set during an intense one week period after the reappearance of a father previously estranged for 12 years. Mysterious narrative with good acting performances by the three main players. Has a 'road movie' feel at times, with aspects from the horror genre.
-
Perhaps I entered this Russian film with too much enthusiasm given what I had read about it, but I must say I was somewhat disappointed. It started well enough, but became increasingly difficult to stay with as it went along. Two young boys' father -- who they only know from an old photograph -- shows up and takes them on a road trip and then a boat trip to what he calls his own private island. The eldest does his best to emotionally reunite with his father while the youngest sees the man for what the audience sees him as -- a selfish, mean bloke who doesn't seem to care about his boys at all. There are some segments that are really engrossing, but the film can't keep up with those moments and falls flat until it ends with a shocking but melodramatic climax.
-
Πατερας επιστρεφει απο πολύχρονη απουσία, δυσπιστία απο τους γιους, ένα road trip που παίρνει παράταση, η δίψα για ενηλικίωση διάχυτη παντού.
O σκηνοθέτης πρέπει να ειναι φαν του Paris,Texas.
-
An excellently tense opening gives way to a more ambiguous, slow paced drama, that doesn't really satisfy.