Somehow I missed Andrei Zvyagintsev's The Return and am wondering if I should remedy this.

Is the dvd quality decent? Is this film the masterpiece that people are claiming it to be?

Thank you,
G30

I saw the Kino release last week and was extremely impressed with both the movie and the release. As far as the release goes, one thing that stuck out in particular for me was the precise colours, which is extremely important for this film since it is set entirely on overcast days, and the clouds and the water contribute so much to the mood throughout the film.

As far as the movie goes, I saw it a aweek ago and it's still fresh in my head, I'll be thinking about it for a long time yet.

I was left cold by the film, but still somewhat enjoyed it. It`s not bad, but IMO very overrated. So, I would definitely advise against blind-buying it.

I considered it the best film of the year in January and after having reseen it on DVD, I still consider it the best film of the year.

It is the most beautiful shot film of the year, it has some of the best acting of the year (some of the most impressive child acting ever) and everything about the film is simple breathtaking.

The DVD looks great and has an 'Making of' documentary that runs about 60 minutes, which tells more about the director than about the film.

henrik and kaz (and anyone else), if you don't mind, would you care to go into what made this film particularly special. i mouthed off on the previous forum about my impression and kaz replied w/o getting too in depth, but really, i would like to know what i was (perhaps) missing. thanks

First of all its a great story

Two boys are living alone with their mother and grandmother. Their father went away some ten years ago without a sign. Suddenly he returns and picks up as if no time has passed. Once a patriarch, always a patriarch.

The older brother is glad to have his father back. The younger not and is the only one who not only questions the fathers rights to enter the family out of the blue and "rule", but also where he has been.

The three of them then go on a fishing trip.

which is by one incredible talented guy

It is hard to talk about the last 2/3rd's of the film, as alot is spoilers, especially in the latter 3rd, but there are three narratives within eachother and two of them are mysteries:

A - Coming of age of Ivan: this narrative deals with him coming to terms with having no father and being the little brother.

B - The return of the father: this narrative is directly linked to (A) and serves as (1) drive of (A) and indirectly drive of (C)

C - The trip: indirectly linked to (A) and the central narrative. Itself a mystery because of the nature and purpose of the trip (Spoilers).

For those who've seen the film, the title "The return" reflects the final images and not the fathers return.

What makes this even better is that Ivan Dobronravov perhaps is the best child actor I have seen to date. His portrait of Ivan (the younger brother) is extremely moving.

What makes it even better is some stunning cinematography. The film is in colour, but when one thinks about it, one thinks black and white.

I really wish I could go further into the plot, but as it is a mystery, I wouldn't want to spoil the fun.

yeah, i do think folks should see it and would hate to spoil it, but i'm still left with the same impression, which (get ready to hit me henrik) is that it just screamed "sundance hype film ala in the bedroom w/ a hint of tarkovsky" at me. it was better than in the bedroom, it wasn't the token "indie" film reviewers were puffing up, the actors were indeed very good, you're right about the cinematography and you even left out the real life tragedy that i'm sure further swayed some viewers, but the voices in my head haven't changed their tune. perhaps if i hadn't wasted my time seeing in the bedroom (which really was a waste having seen the preview which told the whole story) i wouldn't feel this way, but i do.

now tell me cinema is wasted on me and prove it, as usual.

I cannot. If you feel that the winner of the Golden Lion in Venice as best film, which has blown people away, is indie hype, then you are just not receptive for that sort of cinema.

I wont say such cinema is wasted upon you, because you openly give the impression that you have tried to get inside the film, but just cant, and if I could make people get inside a film, I would move to Hollywood and make millions as a consultant for a major studio. I can explain why a film is great, I can not make people feel it. And what you need is to feel the pain of Ivan and the horror of what happends. Only then do you understand what makes it so powerful.

But The Return is not as plain as In the Bedroom.

In the Bedroom neatly explains the entire meaning of the film to begin with, basically spelling the plot and its reading out to you, then creating a situation which only can lead to the conclusion. No matter how good a story it is, the structure of the story and much of the writing is on par with a Hallmark film of the week.

But since you ask for a beating, comparing the two films is plenty of reason

My father abandoned me when I was born and The Return captures the emotions of growing up living with the paternal abandonment most perfectly. Confusion, anger, bitterness, resentment...and longing. Those emotions are handled in the film so beautifully and delicately - through the use of some of the most luminous photography I've ever seen. The film is in colors but my memory of the film is in black and white. Ivan does a very amazing, inspiring job (however is it the best child performance? I'm not sure but I think the boy's performance in Come And See is more visceral.. .the type of performance that makes me still wonder if the actor is okay today).

The Return is a mystery - at its best...it quietly probes the relationship of the boys and their father without spelling everything out and in the very stunning ending with the photo montage.. you sit up and try to pick out or locate the clues - the key that might unlock the mystery. Will you get it or not?


I agree with dvdane that The Return is the best film of 2004.

It does deal with serious stuff in a serious manner, but some scenes just go nowhere, guns are pulled and then nothing is later made of it and so on. If some of the procrastinating scenes on the island were taken out it would`ve been much leaner and meaner. Still, it isn`t bad, but, as a movie, it`s not too good either.

I think that would the exact opposite of everything Zvyagintsev (? - I have no idea if that is spelled correctly) was trying to achieve in the film.

Apparently aspects of the narrative were inspired by a passage in the Bible. Does anyone know the religious parable involved in this story? I don't think its Cain and Abel.

My choice of words was unfotunate as they come. What I`m saying is that certain things could`ve been trimmed, and the movie woulds till contain the same contemplative atmosphere. I`m just concerned when a movie has scenes which contain nothing and go nowhere, because it seems so me to be beefing up on running time.

But those (fairly minor, but major enought to note) qualms aside, the movie was good.

I don`t know about the Bible, but there`s another issue I`ve been thinking about, and haven`t seen mentioned anywhere:

[SPOILERS]


In the photos at the end, I didn`t see the father at all, which to me contains quite a huge ambiguity towards even the mere existence of the father.

[SPOILERS END]

it just reminded me of an indie hype film, not that it was one. i made a concerted effort to go because of the quality of folks who were recommending it. maybe if i'd seen it more randomly i wouldn't have felt it was a tad slight. it's not a sort of cinema i'm not receptive to, it was the particular film which i felt showed the promise of the director/actors/etc but didn't amount to much for me. i was just waiting around for the inevitable.



no argument there. clearly this film deeply affected a number of folks (although so did the film to which i referred) and is well crafted so i wouldn't talk anyone out of the opportunity to be moved.

Another vote here for THE RETURN as best film of the year, barring some late unexpected comer.

The level of directorial control in THE RETURN is astonishing for any film, not just a first-time director. I'll watch it again, but I didn't think that there was anything that should be cut at all ... yes, it's not a fast moving film, but it's not meant to be. I love how the weight accrues naturalistically throughout the film ... argh, I'm not in a space where I can write coherently about it. I just don't see the IN THE BEDROOM comparison at all ... the openness of the narrative, the complexity of the characters, the choice of camera angles, everything is just so different.

And fucking masterful.

I think the best DVD is the Italian Rlease with some extras.

Do you guys know that the main actor(the younger boy I belive) died recently.

Its sad

it's older boy who died, and not recently, but right after the film was completed (in the lake where they filmed it).

I don`t know if anyone would agree - but I mostly see political symbolism in this movie. We are told it is 12 years since the Father left - that pretty much exactly 1991-2003 - years of post Soviet Union, Yeltsin`s chaotic rule. Now, the Power is back, Putin is consolidating enormous power in his hands (well, he sort of finished doing that already). Some people are happy to return to the world where the authority makes most of the choices for them, others rebel... The finale of the movie made me wonder, whether we are supposed to feel sad or happy - I guess everybody make their own choice. Then, like all great movies, the Return can be felt and understood on many levels...

But, then what does the ending with the missing figure in the photographs, the questioning of existence, and the family functioning without an authoritative figure represent?

Regarding the R2 UGC/Fox disc, Should I assume that DVDTimes and ChiaroScuro are correct in their information on aspect ratio? Most of the online stores list the film as 2.35:1 widescreen. I sure hope that it's simply a misprint on the distributor's part.

1.85:1 is indeed the correct ratio.