FROM THE LAND that gave us some of the finest filmmakers of the century--Andrei Tarkovsky, Sergei Eisenstein and Grigory Kozintsev .Debutant director Andrei Zvyagintsev follows in the footsteps of these giants. The opening shot from under the sea showing a bunch of teenagers jumping into the cold water from a wooden tower remind you of Tarkovsky and the bleak, barren look at the bizarre yet amazing beauty of the Russian landscapes remind you of Kozintsev. Yet "The Return" with all its finesse and depth of subject matter does not hold a candle to the works of the aforementioned Soviet filmmakers.
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The film tells the tale of two brothers, Ivan (Ivan Dobronravov) and Andrei (Vladimir Garin) who live with their mother and grandmother in a small coastal village in
REVIEW:
Every single moment of this film is a revelation. Zvyagintsev beautifully captures the opposite ways in which the boys react to and interact with their father. Andrei, the oldest, is so desperate for a father figure in his life that he is willing to overlook the often inexplicable, bizarre and possibly even dangerous behavior that this particular father exhibits. Ivan, on the other hand, embittered by years of absence and neglect, seethes with barely disguised rage at the man who now presumes to enter into their once happy lives and assert his authority. Through this intense interaction, the film emerges as a complex and profound study of what father and son relationships are really all about.
At the most easy level, the film can be interpreted as a chronicle of two children chronicling (with a help of a diary written by two male siblings) the events of a week with their father that facilitates their transformation from childhood to manhood metaphorically. At a more complex level, the film can also be interpreted as a political film--with the father figure representing the strong Communist USSR and the death of that state. The two sons can be interpreted as one representing the section that accepted subjugation by the state and the other that rebelled against the state and demanded freedom and democracy. At yet another level, the film provides the option of being interpreted in religious terms. Is the father figure any different from Christ coming to the world to help the world, and die in the process to be accepted by those who believe and don't believe. The film is scattered with clues that afford this interpretation.
The film's writers deserve special recognition for not allowing the plot to overwhelm the characters. For this is, first and foremost, a great character study. The scenarists have intentionally left the background of the father vague and sketchy, the better to enhance the sense of mystery and danger he represents. We never find out what nefarious activities he is involved with since that is of virtually no importance either to the children or to us. We are too engrossed in the relationships of the characters to care. In fact, there are a few hints towards the end of the film that this seemingly cold, uncaring man, for all his myriad faults, might actually just love his sons in his own strange way. The film leaves us with no easy answers or pat resolutions at the end.
Among other things, "The Return" represents one of the most impressive directorial debuts since Francois Truffaut's "The 400 Blows." Zvyagintsev's ability to draw great performances from his actors is only one of his many talents on display here. Zvyagintsev prefers long shots, with small camera movements, which allows us enough time to analyze the relationship between the father and the children. Light is filtered in metallic nuances, and gray, blue and green seem to be the only colors in Andrei Zvyagintsev's universe. His lyrical use of composition, as well as the way in which he makes nature and weather an integral part of his drama help to draw us so deeply into this world that it takes the viewer literally hours to get fully back to his own existence again once the movie has ended.
It is virtually impossible to put into words just how brilliantly the two young actors use their facial expressions to convey a wealth of meaning and emotion. If I could give an award for the best performance by a child actor in movie history, these two youngsters would be high on my list of candidates. They are that amazing. Tragically, young Garin drowned two months prior to the release of the film, leaving his indelible mark behind in a performance that will never be forgotten by anyone privileged enough to witness it. Konstantin Lavronenko is equally impressive as the boys’ mysterious father, beautifully underplaying the part of a man who can appear sane and rational on the surface but who is a seething cauldron of untapped emotions beneath.
The Return is a film that stays with you, it comes under your skin and you think about it a lot. Maybe it's for the best to become aware of its brilliance only later (not right after seeing it). I've seen this film some days ago and only by a day or two later, I got to fully comprehend it. It's so powerful and the images haunt you. a true work of art and one of the outstanding films of the decade so far. It really deserves all the credit. Winner of the Golden Lion at the
'The Return' stands out above the multitude of today's cinema, which is so often potholed by its lackluster plot lines, unrealistic human behavior and rhetorical messages”
Original Title : VOZVRASHCHENIYE
Director ; Andrei Zvyagintsev
Cast :Ivan Dobronravov, Vladimir Garin , Konstantin Lavronenko
Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images and Violence
Country : Russia
Language : Russian
DVD Features : Deleted Scenes
Behind The Scenes Footage
Alternate Takes
Documentary : THE Return - A Film About the Film
Still Galleries
Trailer Link : www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNR4ER9tC6A
