24/21
After 20 years, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife captured by suitors vying for the title of king and his son facing death at their hands. To reclaim his family and all he has lost, Odysseus must rediscover his strength… Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche have starred together for the third time in a film. They previously worked together in Wuthering Heights (1992) and The English Patient (1996). Penelope: How can men find their way to war but not their way home? Odysseus: For some, war becomes home. Aiming to immerse the viewer in the multifactorial pain and suffering of Penelope and Odysseus during Odysseus’s return home to Ithaca, this treatise systematically explores the challenges faced by many soldiers. returning from active duty, including PTSD and other mental health issues, reintegrating into their previous lives with family and society, and reliving the memories and pain they have endured and inflicted on themselves, and the resulting inner change that is irreversible. The Return is driven by a great cast that allows the viewer to experience this roller coaster ride as the two key protagonists ride to significant heights, thanks to the unique and extraordinary perseverance of Penelope and Odysseus through this difficult time in their lives. and without each other. In fact, the two are kept quite apart for most of the build-up, which only makes the catharsis stronger in the most intense, thriller-like later part of an otherwise slower-paced film. Fiennes brings his unique style of portraying suffering to this piece – a great extension of his amazing skills from his supporting portrayals of pain and anguish in Spider and The End of the Affair. Binoche is the perfect choice for Penelope, as the viewer could be tricked to some extent into feeling and hoping that the two will reunite in the same way they were close in The English Patient, and Pasolini uses this to build further tension in this piece for those whose memories of The English Patient are vivid. This is a great and very relevant work that needs to be experienced!