The Return
Screening: 17 October 2005
Russia 2003
Directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev
Leading players ~ Ivan Dobronravov, Vladimir Garin, Konstantin Lavronenko.
105 minutes (subtitles)
Synopsis
An astonishing debut by Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev, The Return is a beguiling tale seen through the eyes of two young boys. Like the recent Italian success Consequences of Love, the film is a testament to the idiom that 'less is more.' The mystery posed is more abstract than that of the average thriller: the father may have left home years before, but the mother appears happy to see him again; Vanya senses something is wrong, although on the face of it his father tries his best to please the sons. As in the world of David Lynch, the more normal things are, the more uncertain you become of the world you are watching. Neither conventional thriller nor horror, the film creates tension with every scene, unwilling to give anything away, even in the final, gripping moments.Its achievement lies not in hiding anything from the audience, but in allying us with the boys, whose imagination is wild and untrammelled, and whose fears and trepidations we subsequently share. When the father does lose his temper, it is not because he is a cruel man, but because we witness the emotion through Vanya's judging eyes. Sparsely shot, The Return occupies unusual landscapes rarely captured on screen, which help to conjure this strange, uneasy atmosphere.
Zvyagintsev's real coup, however, is in drawing out three remarkable performances; Ivan Dobronravov in particular is mesmerising, as the young Vanya. Sadly, Vladimir Garin, who plays Andrei, in events eerily reminiscent of the film, drowned shortly after production was completed.
'Already The Return seems canonical, as if it has been there all along: an old-fashioned, satisfying piece of storytelling which looks languorously beautiful, while at the same time fastening itself to your attention like the bite of a snake.'
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian.
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Film facts
The budget for The Return remains a secret, though in an interview the director and the producer hinted that it was well under $500,000.At the 2003 Venice Film Festival The Return won the following awards:
Golden Lion: Andrei Zvyagintsev
Best First Film: Andrei Zvyagintsev
Luigi De Laurentiis Award: Andrei Zvyagintsev (director) Dmitri Lesnevsky (producer)
Actor Vladimir Garin died on 25 June 2003 (shortly after shooting was completed) in the same lake that features in the movie. News of his death was postponed until after the film's premiere.
'...Andrei Zvyagintsev finds a voice that is distinctively his own in his peculiarly affecting debut, The Return.'
Mark Kermode The Observer.
