Rent The Return (2003)

A hideous Christ figure - The Return review by PW

It's worth looking at Mantagna's 'Lamentation of Christ (c.1480). This image was almost reproduced twice in the film, first early on when the returned father sleeps to be seen for the first time in 12 years by his sons, later after the twist. At another point a slow image of a boat coming to an island reminded me of a scene on the see of Galilee. The theme of return echoed resurrection but with no warmth or hope.

Andrei Zvyagintsev seems to want to subvert the central hope of Christianity. Yet this bleak, yet sumptuous film somehow avoided leaving the viewer devoid of hope. The mental battle between the father and his youngest son (us?) left me with hope in the human spirit.

Unforgettable contemporary classic. - The Return review by CP Customer

This is a great cinematic experience from start to finish. Everything is blended together with careful skill: the characterisation of the brothers and the father; the stunning visual setpiece scenes; the music; the colour palette; the terse dialogue. It all works together magnificently.

The younger brother gives one of the best child performances in movie history.

I saw this when it was released and many images stayed in my mind. Seeing it again has made me realise what a landmark in cinema history this film is.

Great film - The Return review by Popeyethetim

Probably his best work. Immaculately filmed. Tense throughout and incredible performances from all the actors. There is a great deal unsaid about the returned father which leaves him a bit of an enigma but we get hints of what he is like from his interactions with the two sons, the eldest of whom is readyu to accept him but the youngest and more sensitive doiesn't cope with it and rejects him. This is a great film, easily Zvyagintsev's best.

A very Russian story that remains enigmatic to the end - The Return review by Philip in Paradiso

In today's Russia, Andrei and his younger brother, Ivan, are very close. They live with their mother and grandmother in what seems to be a small, provincial town. After an absence of 12 years, their father returns, hence the title of the film. He is a taciturn, enigmatic and menacing man, as well as a disciplinarian who wants the boys to do as he says. We do not know why he stayed away for so long. We do not know what he did for 12 years and where he lived. We only learn that he was "a pilot", but it is not clear whether he flew airliners or fighter aircraft for the military. He appears to have a lot of money and some shady connections. He keeps on making phone calls from telephone boxes to people who are not identified in the story. He is, in effect, an enigma, but a vaguely threatening one, prone to physical violence. We do not know his name: he is referred to as 'Father' or 'Dad' in the film - the latter being what he wants the 2 boys to call him. His wife tells him it would be good, after so many years, if he spent some time with his 2 sons. The 3 of them set off, in his car, for what the 2 kids expect will be a short trip, which will give them the opportunity to go fishing. The film develops from this point onwards.

This is a quintessentially Russian film. We feel the vastness of Russia, and the wilderness of such a vast country, as soon as you leave the towns, which, all too often, are rather run-down and depressing. The interaction between the characters is also very Russian: a mixture of tenderness and violence, tension and love, passion and repression. The movie is very good at conveying all of this and creating a unique, gripping atmosphere, with a huge amount of suspense, even though, in many ways, the storyline could seem rather plain in many respects. From this point of view, this is a great film, well worth watching. On the other hand, the enigma of the father's past remains an enigma, and deliberately so: who is he, really? The entire story is seen through the eyes of the 2 kids - Ivan, still a very young boy, and Andrei, a more mature young teenager. This is where the movie works so well. But it also leaves us, at the end, with as many questions as when we started. The ending is brilliant or frustrating or both, as you wish.

There was a tragic twist to the film. See this article in The Guardian. You should only read it after you have seen the movie, as it gives away certain elements of the plot. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/sep/05/filmfestivals.film

A great thought provoking film - The Return review by DR

A good watch - dark, stark and leaves you wondering for days. Brutal at times and as a father you see the plot from both the child and the fathers perspective - it shakes you like all good art. Well worth a watch especially if you like your films stark and emotional. Well acted and fantastic scenery.

The diving board - The Return review by CH

A devastating Russian film that I have borrowed twice already from Paradiso and I recommend it to anyone new to Russian films. It is a masterpiece, a tense, dark tale about two young brothers trying to make sense of the sudden reappearance of a man claiming to be their father. They must learn to accommodate him, but he is an awkward piece in this family's jigsaw. Is the expedition he has planned for the boys, for them or for himself?

gripping! - The Return review by SoniaGee

As the film proceeds, the mystery deepens. The suspense is there, and whilst not a typical family-viewing film,

I rate it very highly. For adults.