The Return Review: A Captivating (If Slow) Epic [TIFF 2024]

"The Odyssey" is one of the central works of the Western literary canon, but despite its cultural significance and thrilling action sequences, Homer's epic poem rarely gets adapted cinematically. Of the few movie versions that exist, none have achieved significant status in the cinematic canon — and the one adaptation that still gets talked about is also the loosest one (the Coen Brothers' Depression-era farce "O Brother, Where Art Thou?").

"The Return," directed by Uberto Pasolini, is the first straightforward film adaptation of "The Odyssey" made in a long time — but there's a catch. Instead of attempting to adapt the whole poem, Passolini chose to focus just on the last third, in which Odysseus (played here by Ralph Fiennes) has finally returned home to the island of Ithaca and seeks to reunite with his Queen Penelope (Juliette Binoche), who's pursued by many suitors despite refusing to move on from her presumed-dead husband. All talk of the Greek gods and Odysseus' more fantastical adventures at sea has been excised in favor of a more grounded depiction of a soldier returning from war.

If this doesn't sound like the most exciting potential "Odyssey" adaptation ... that's because it isn't. But it ends up being more compelling in the end than it may seem at first! It's slow going, and while the target audience should have read their Homer in high school, those less familiar with the source material might be confused by this incomplete narrative. Yet, the power of Fiennes' and Binoche's performances, as well as the strength of the classic tale itself, allow "The Return" to build into something both entertaining and meaningful in its final act.

Ralph Fiennes' Odysseus is a man of both immense strength and intense frailty. The 61-year-old actor went through a full-blown Marvel muscle makeover for this role. His musculature is on display for most of the time he's onscreen. Also on display are the many scars that cover those muscles, and when he's first washed up on Ithaca, naked and desperate, the rest of his body parts (between Fiennes in "The Return" and Jude Law in "Eden," Toronto International Film Festival audiences this year got to see both Voldemort and Dumbledore's wands). This is a hero brought to the brink, a soldier who's seen all his fellow men die and is struggling to face the challenge of living with that horror. His sorrow is palpable.

Juliette Binoche's Penelope is also filled with sorrow. The film opens with her weaving a burial shroud; she promises her suitors that she'll select her next husband when she's completed her act of mourning, but every night she undoes her own work in hopes of delaying such a choice and protecting the kingdom. She can only delay her choice so long, however, before Antinous (Marwan Kenzari), the nastiest of the suitors, begins to push back.

Okay, so this movie is maybe 70% brooding. It would probably be extremely boring if not for the fact the brooders in question are two of the most talented actors of their generation. They capture these weary souls with such intensity that the slow burn pacing works as build-up for a truly satisfying conclusion. It helps that the cinematography by Marius Panduru, much of it shot on location in Greece, is handsome to look at — and the supporting cast offers up more of the eye candy expected in a sword-and-sandals picture.

I think the point where "The Return" finally hit me was when the old housekeeper Eurycleia (Ángela Molina) recognizes from Odysseus' scars that the old beggar she's helping is, in fact, her King. Not everyone Odysseus reunites with is happy to see him — his volatile son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) now finds him repulsive — so to see the sheer joy on Eurycleia's face proves incredibly moving. It's proof Odysseus' suffering hasn't been all for naught, and it's when the brooding starts to give way to catharsis.

When it's time for Odysseus' big reunion with Penelope, with the test of the arrow and the subsequent slaying of the suitors, everything is as gripping and awe-inspiring as you would want it to be. The emotions overflow, the action excites, and the feats of strength feel all the more earned as a result of all the sadness and struggle leading up to them. The final act even manages to fit a laugh or two into this super serious film.

Speaking after the screening at TIFF, Uberto Passolini discussed how much of the script (co-written with John Collee and Edward Bond) was inspired by interviews with Vietnam War veterans, while also alluding to the story's relevance to wars going on in the world today. "The Odyssey" remains timeless for a reason, and honing in on the epic's conclusion to explore PTSD and what it's like to come home from the horrors of war gives this adaptation a distinct perspective. Do I wish it wasn't quite so slow and got to the heights of its final act sooner? Yes. But after making it through "The Return," I came away with respect for its accomplishment, even if I couldn't love it.

"The Return" premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. It opens in theaters on December 6.