.

Sunday Dec 8th turned out to be a three-movie day as I watched Heretic at a late screening, Heavier Trip, the sequel the charming Heavy Trip by way of Video on Demand and at a matinee screening The Return.

Bleecker Street Productions

A retelling of the final chapters or books of the Greek Classic The Odyssey the film details the return after twenty years of the hero/king Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) to his home the island of Ithaca. In the absences the kingdom has gone to ruin. The best men had sailed with the king to the war on Troy and none have returned. The king’s father is dying and unscrupulous suitors pressure Queen Penelope (Juliette Binoche) to select one of them to be the new king. Disguised as a beggar and veteran of the war Odysseus is reluctant to reveal himself, carrying the heavy emotional scars of both the war and the men he led to their doom.

The Return is a modern telling of the story with modern sensibilities to the emotional trauma inflected by the horror of war while retaining the period setting of the classic tale. Fiennes is excellent, as usual, in the role, his aged and deeply lined face wearing the heavy weight of guilt and memory quite well. Binoche also turns in a riveting performance while the rest of the cast can only be described as adequate. It is not perhaps the fault of the performers as the script is tightly focused on Odysseus and Penelope. It is their story and his more than hers, with the remaining characters only serving to reflect themes and motivations back to the principles.

The direction by Uberto Pasolini and the cinematography is serviceable and does nothing to draw attention to themselves but also do nothing that elevates the final product above that perfectly useable art.

The Return is currently in theaters but with a very limited promotional campaign, a proper trailer was only available about a month prior to release, it is destined for a fast trip to online streaming and Video on Demand.