Itaca - Il ritorno

While watching the trailers for Gladiator II, this film was teased. That was certainly the best part of the Gladiator II experience. What I was expecting to see from the teaser was not what I experienced, and that was wonderful. I was expecting, simply, a modern play of the third act of the Odyssey with some great modern actors. Instead, I was treated to a thought-provoking exploration of many difficult topics involved in the human experience. They just so happened to find their home in Odysseus's return home at the end of the Odyssey. This film comes across as a passion project of the lead actor and producer. I would love to look into the story of the making and funding of this project. This movie was not at all what I was expecting but found it to be a real treat and left me and my viewing companion discussing the different themes and meanings. The cinematography is where this film shines.

This screen adaption of the Odyssey - or rather just the part of it - is a modern take and is rather good.

Both Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche are excellent, as is to be expected, and they are supported by a good cast. Charlie Plummer, in the role of Odysseus and Penelope's son, is equally good.

What stands out most from this short and low budget film is how good it is: Fiennes portrays Odysseus with PTSD with utter believability, and it makes you wonder (though you already know) what really happened to his men after the war.

The fights are also well choreographed, without many of the quick edits that hide an actor's lack of skill. In fact, Fiennes is so fit that that even the edited actions (with the bow) are believable. I wouldn't be surprised if he really did learn how to use it.

Even if you've never read the Iliad or the Odyssey, watching this movie might pique your interest in these classics.

Homer's epic poem The Odyssey is the inspiration behind hundreds of works. First published around the 7th or 8th century BC, and first translated into English in the 16th century, its impact is incalculable. From novels, like James Joyce's 'Ulysses', to operas, such as Claudio Monteverdi's 'Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria,' its influence can be seen in all forms of media. There have even been some notable films based on the epic poem, such as Giuseppe de Liguoro's 1911 'L'Odissea', Theo Angelopoulos's 'Ulysses' Gaze,' and even The Coen Brothers' 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'

Uberto Pasolini is the most recent to try his hand at an Odyssey adaptation, with 2024's 'The Return.' His film- based on the latter half of Homer's 24-chapter epic- follows a battle-weary Odysseus as he washes ashore on Ithaca. Unrecognizable as the mighty warrior-king that left decades before, his dominion has fallen into decay and debauchery. As his wife Penelope is forced to choose a new suitor, and by extension a new king, Odysseus must navigate a land that no longer recognizes him, battling both external foes and his own inner demons.

Although by no means awful, Pasolini's film is fraught with issues. While the narrative is engaging, the dialogue throughout is unnaturally stilted. Moreover, the whole affair lacks momentum and tension. Further, numerous secondary characters are badly miscast, negatively affecting the film's impact. However, through their depiction of the film's central character, the screenwriters make an interesting point about trauma. Their version of Odysseus is suffering terribly, laboured by survivor's guilt and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after his time battling in the Trojan War.

Pasolini, alongside screenwriters John Collee and Edward Bond, seem to be drawing from psychiatrist Jonathan Shay's two books, 'Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character' and 'Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming' in their portrayal of Odysseus as suffering from PTSD and moral injury. This modern interpretation adds a layer of psychological realism to the film, highlighting the timeless nature of war's impact on the human psyche.

By depicting Odysseus' struggles with PTSD, survivor's guilt and moral injury, the film not only stays true to the emotional depth of Homer's original work but also resonates with contemporary audiences familiar with the challenges faced by veterans. This approach allows Pasolini's film bridge the gap between ancient myth and modern reality, making Odysseus's journey both relatable and poignant.

While this is an interesting interpretation of the central character, others lack the same level of depth, and the whole screenplay feels oddly lacking, with an uneven pace that saps it of momentum. The film is full of brooding silences, which- more often than not- seem unnecessarily drawn out. Conversely, it lacks not for visual splendour. Cinematographer Marius Panduru captures the stark beauty of the landscape, emphasising its power. Although beautiful, everything on the island- from the trees to Odysseus' castle- is cold, mean, unforgiving.

Giuliano Pannuti's minimalistic production design helps ground the story, looking authentic and gritty, while Rachel Portman's subtle score compounds the drama of proceedings. Conversely, the costumes look like rejects from Zach Snyder's '300' and many secondary characters look and sound far too contemporary to be taken seriously; more like frat boys than Ancient Greeks.

However, at its heart, the film has one element that makes it worthwhile: Ralph Fiennes. One of the all-time greats, Fiennes embodies Odysseus' underlying trauma with subtlety and nuance. You can see the weight of his experiences bearing down on his shoulders, the pain of survivor's guilt. Fiennes demonstrates that vulnerability masterfully, conveying both the physical and emotional struggles of Odysseus with aplomb, while elevating the whole film around him (and, frankly, making it watchable).

Unfortunately, his supporting cast aren't up to his level, or don't get a chance to be. Juliette Binoche is completely underused in the underwritten part of Penelope, though does a lot with very little. Charlie Plummer doesn't seem at ease playing their son Telemachus, and is swallowed up by the role. Marwan Kenzari, meanwhile, deserved more to play with in an all-too-small role as one of Penelope's suitors; the same can be said for Claudio Santamaria as Odysseus' accomplice, Swineherd Eumaeus.

Ángela Molina also does nice work as Odysseus's old nursemaid, Eurycleia, although is similarly underused. On the other hand, the men of Ithaca are played by young lads completely out of their depth, who were clearly cast because of their muscles and not acting ability, of which they have none.

In conclusion, Uberto Pasolini's 'The Return' may look great, though is lacking in many areas. While Ralph Fiennes delivers a powerful performance as Odysseus, the film struggles with stilted dialogue, miscast secondary characters and an uneven pace. Despite its striking cinematography and attempts to add psychological depth to the narrative, it doesn't reach its full potential. Unfortunately, 'The Return' isn't one that you'll want to go back to.

This is one of those great epic stories that could have been a fantastic film instead of this terrible script and horrible directing.

Luckily the island of Corfu keeps you enjoying the beautiful scenery so go in with low expectations and remember it's been 20 years since Ralph Fiennes disappeared from the island.

The only reason to watch it is Ralph Fiennes who puts a phenomenal effort into building his body to look like a real warrior and he still has the A star acting chops.

Juliette Binoche does her best yet her costumes are pathetic and look like a Flash Gordon costume and the make up artist makes her look like she is in a play rather than a film.

The supporting cast is a terrible mistake of mostly b level clowns that have either bad English modern accents or 20 something gen x that are way too clean and boring to live in a supposed Greek world.

The son played by Plummer is a decent actor yet comes across as an imbecile except in the 3rd act suddenly out of the blue the director turns the father/ son team into a Tarantino Caligula kill fest that is almost laughable.

Spoiler The funniest part is the kill area is cleaned of all blood including the pathetic son - but mysteriously somehow Fiennes remains all bloody and stays in character. It is so disjointed that it makes the scene feel mostly like a comedic play.

The director unfortunately creates a b movie with 2 stellar actors and the Greek village looks like a student film with a motley crew of extras that appear to be from some North African country rather than local Greeks.

It almost appears that the DEI office in hollyweird stipulated that half the crew must be from outside of Greece.

At least the movie Troy got the casting right but this one is a joke so enjoy the comedy show esp the blonde actor with a crew cut. And almost all of the actors look like they play video games and never once lived outside in the Sun or lifted a sword contrasted with Ealph Fiennes that looks like he was cast in a completely different movie.

The slow pace is not worth the wait even with Ralph Fiennes brilliant acting and the only saving grace is that you get to watch him shoot arrows into these pathetic lame actors.

The Return deserves a better script, casting and director and it's a shame to see Ralph Fiennes talent wasted - but he deserves an Oscar nomination for his efforts.

5 stars for Ralph Fiennes.

Some may find this film boring. And while the runtime does drag on a few times during the course of the movie, I didn't find it as lacklustre as I thought it might be. This is mostly due to the two great lead performances by Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, reunited after almost thirty years (Their last picture together was the Oscar-winning film The English Patient in 1996).

I'm not at all familiar with Greek myths, as there are so many of them, it's hard to keep track. But this particular story focuses solely on the last part of Odysseus's story, when he is washed up, broken, scarred and a shadow of his former self after the war of Troy. His wife Penelope, who has been pressured by annoying, leery men into marrying them, cannot recognise her husband. Not necessarily because he looks physically different, but because of the atrocities he committed while he was away. And the question of whether the sacrifices his homeland made was worth it for war.

It focuses on the timeless story of men returning back home from the horrors of warfare, only to find that their home no longer wants them, and they cannot escape their soldier's life. Such is the situation for many veterans suffering from PTSD.

But it also offers a glimmer of hope to start again. And I have no problem with quieter movies as long as they offer good themes and realistic characterizations. We don't always need CGI monsters and big battles to keep us hooked.