30/33
To reclaim his family and all that he has lost, Odysseus must rediscover his strength
After 20 years, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife imprisoned by suitors seeking to become king, and his son facing death at their hands. This is the third time Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche have starred together in a film.
Odysseus: For some, war becomes home
They previously worked together on Wuthering Heights (1992) and The English Patient (1996). Penelope: How can men find their way to war but not their way home?
In fact, the two are kept quite separate for most of the build-up, which only makes the catharsis stronger in the most intense, thriller-like later part of an otherwise slower-moving film
With its focus on immersing the viewer in the multi-faceted pain and suffering of Penelope and Odysseus as Odysseus returns home to Ithaca, this treatise seemed to explore quite systematically the challenges faced by many soldiers returning from active duty, including PTSD and other mental health issues, reintegration into their former lives with family and society, and flashbacks to memories and pain, both endured and inflicted, and the resulting internal change that is irreversible. The Return is propelled by a great casting choice to allow the viewer to experience this rollercoaster ride that sees the two main characters ride to considerable heights, the latter due to the unique and special resilience of Penelope and Odysseus through this difficult period of their lives and without the support of each other.
This is a great and very relevant work that needs to be experienced!
Fiennes brings his unique style of portraying suffering to this work – a great extension of his wonderful skills from his adjacent portrayals of pain and anguish in Spider and The End of the Affair. Binoche is the perfect choice for Penelope because the viewer is tricked into feeling and hoping that the two will connect in the same way that they were close throughout The English Patient, and Pasolini uses this to build additional tension in this work for those whose memories of The English Patient are vivid.