36/25
After 20 years, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife held captive by rival suitors and his son in mortal danger. To get back his family and everything he has lost, Odysseus must rediscover his strength. Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche starred together in a film for the third time. They previously worked together in Wuthering Heights (1992) and The English Patient (1996). Penelope: How can men find their way to war but not home? Odysseus: For some, war becomes home. As the viewer experiences the multifactorial pain and suffering of Penelope and Odysseus as Odysseus returns to Ithaca, this treatise is viewed as a fairly systematic examination of the challenges many soldiers face upon returning from active duty, including PTSD and other mental health issues as well as reintegrating into their former family life and society, recollections of experienced memories and pain, and resulting irreversible internal changes. “The Return” relies on a wide range of casting choices that allow the viewer to experience the rollercoaster ride of both protagonists to significant heights, the latter thanks to the unique and special perseverance of Penelope and Odysseus during this difficult time in their lives, and without each other’s support. In fact, the two are quite distant throughout much of the build-up, which only adds to the catharsis of the most intense, thriller-like later part of an otherwise slow-burn film. In this piece, Fiennes brings his own unique style to the portrayal of suffering, a perfect extension of his amazing skills from juxtaposing pain and suffering in Spider-Man and Rye’s End. Binoche is an excellent choice for Penelope as the viewer can be tricked into feeling and hoping that the two will bond in the same way they remained close throughout The English Patient, and Pasolini takes advantage of this to create extra tension in this production, the memory of The English Patient is alive. This is a great and very relevant work that must be experienced!