The Return, directed by Italian filmmaker Uberto Pasolini, offers a new perspective on Homer’s Odyssey by reimagining its final chapter.
The film opens with Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) returning home to the island of Ithaca. The Trojan War is over, and for years, Penelope (Juliette Binoche) has been rejecting suitors hungry for wealth and power, clinging to the hope that her husband will come back.
Pasolini masterfully builds tension, even though we witness the delayed consequences of war rather than its direct, dramatic unfolding, the kind that conventionally delivers immediate suspense. The film is an ambitious attempt to transform the final act of Odysseus’s tale into a gripping drama, with the emotional intensity of a war film. This time, however, the war is fought in silence. Penelope is pressured by those around her to remarry, suitors continue to knock at her door, her son Telemachus becomes the target of mockery and aggression from Ithaca’s men, and Odysseus chooses to remain in disguise, a decision that further strains the already tense atmosphere.
Pasolini carefully paces the narrative, guiding it organically toward a powerful climax. His focus on the humanity and simplicity of the characters draws us naturally into the legendary world, allowing us to connect with these well-known figures more deeply than other adaptations have managed.
The film is presented with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest.
Monday, June 16, 6:00 PM / Florin Piersic Cinema