17/49
After 20 years, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife held captive by suitors claiming the throne, and his son is threatened with death at their hands. To bring back his family and everything he lost, Odysseus must regain his strength. For the third time, Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche are filming together in one film. Earlier, they worked together on the films “Stormy Pass” (1992) and “The English Patient” (1996). Penelope: How can men find their way to war, but not find their way home? Odysseus: For some, war becomes home. Focused on immersing the viewer in the multifactorial pain and suffering of Penelope and Odysseus during Odysseus’ return home to Ithaca, this treatise appears to be a fairly systematic exploration of the problems many soldiers face when returning from active duty, including post-traumatic stress disorder and other issues with mental health, reintegration into his former life with family and society, as well as memories and pain, as experienced, both the caused and resulting internal changes that are irreversible. “The Return” is supported by an excellent selection of actors, which allows the viewer to feel this roller coaster, on which the two main characters rise to significant heights, and the latter – thanks to the unique and special endurance of Penelope and Odysseus in this difficult time of their lives, and without the support of each other. In fact, the two keep quite a distance from each other for most of the development, which only heightens the catharsis in the most intense, thriller-like final part of an otherwise slower film. Fiennes brings to this work his unique style of depicting suffering, a magnificent extension of his remarkable skill set from the related depictions of pain and suffering in The Spider and The End of the Novel. Binoche is the perfect choice for “Penelope” because the viewer can be tricked into feeling and hoping that these two will reunite in the same way that they were close throughout “The English Patient” and Pasolini uses this to create additional tension in this the work of those whose memories of “The English Patient” are vivid. This is a great and very relevant work that needs to be experienced!