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HistoryDramaAdventure

The Return

- Some legends are more than myths.

After twenty years away, Odysseus washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The king has finally returned home, but much has changed in his kingdom since he left to fight in the Trojan war.

Release Date : 2024-09-07

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : PicomediaRAI CinemaRedwave FilmsHereticKabo FilmsMarvelous ProductionsBleecker Street

Production Country : GreeceItalyUnited KingdomUnited States of AmericaFrance

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Ralph Fiennes

Character Name : Odysseus

Original Name : Ralph Fiennes

Gender : Male

Juliette Binoche

Character Name : Penelope

Original Name : Juliette Binoche

Gender : Female

Charlie Plummer

Character Name : Telemachus

Original Name : Charlie Plummer

Gender : Male

Marwan Kenzari

Character Name : Antinous

Original Name : Marwan Kenzari

Gender : Male

Claudio Santamaria

Character Name : Eumeas

Original Name : Claudio Santamaria

Gender : Male

Ángela Molina

Character Name : Eurycleia

Original Name : Ángela Molina

Gender : Female

Nikitas Tsakiroglou

Character Name : Laertes

Original Name : Νικήτας Τσακίρογλου

Gender : Male

Tom Rhys Harries

Character Name : Pisander

Original Name : Tom Rhys Harries

Gender : Male

Jamie Andrew Cutler

Character Name : Eurymachus

Original Name : Jamie Andrew Cutler

Gender : Male

Moe Bar-El

Character Name : Elatus

Original Name : Moe Bar-El

Gender : Male

Amir Wilson

Character Name : Philetus

Original Name : Amir Wilson

Gender : Male

Jaz Hutchins

Character Name : Hippotas

Original Name : Jaz Hutchins

Gender : Male

Hugh Quarshie

Character Name : Imphinomous

Original Name : Hugh Quarshie

Gender : Male

Chris Corrigan

Character Name : Polybus

Original Name : Chris Corrigan

Gender : Male

Aaron Cobham

Character Name : Leodes

Original Name : Aaron Cobham

Gender : Male

Amesh Edireweera

Character Name : Leocritus

Original Name : Amesh Edireweera

Gender : Male

Ayman Al Aboud

Character Name : Indius

Original Name : Ayman Al Aboud

Gender : Male

Nicolas Exequiel Retrivi Mora

Character Name : Elenus

Original Name : Nicolas Exequiel Retrivi Mora

Gender : Male

Giorgio Antonini

Character Name : Irus

Original Name : Giorgio Antonini

Gender : Male

Matthew T. Reynolds

Character Name : (voice)

Original Name : Matthew T. Reynolds

Gender : Male

Fabius De Vivo

Character Name : Euryades

Original Name : Fabius De Vivo

Gender : Male

Magaajyia Silberfeld

Character Name : Melantho

Original Name : Magaajyia Silberfeld

Gender : Male

Handrinou Ileana

Character Name : Poor girl

Original Name : Handrinou Ileana

Gender : Male

Kaiti Manolidaki

Character Name : Old woman

Original Name : Καίτη Μανωλιδάκη

Gender : Female

Francesco Dwight Bianchi

Character Name : Amphimedon

Original Name : Francesco Dwight Bianchi

Gender : Male

Pavlos Iordanopoulos

Character Name : Stratius

Original Name : Παύλος Ιορδανόπουλος

Gender : Male

Roberto Serpi

Character Name : Melanthius

Original Name : Roberto Serpi

Gender : Male

Stefano Santomauro

Character Name : Thoas

Original Name : Stefano Santomauro

Gender : Male

Maxim Gallozzi

Character Name : Dulicheus

Original Name : Maxim Gallozzi

Gender : Male

Karandish Hanie

Character Name : Asteris

Original Name : Karandish Hanie

Gender : Male

Cosimo Desii

Character Name : Eurydamus

Original Name : Cosimo Desii

Gender : Male

Wael Habib

Character Name : Aristratos

Original Name : Wael Habib

Gender : Male

Paolo De Candia

Character Name : Ctesippus

Original Name : Paolo De Candia

Gender : Male

Alberto Boubakar Malanchino

Character Name : Eurynomous

Original Name : Alberto Boubakar Malanchino

Gender : Male

Hans Kodi Kode

Character Name : Look Out

Original Name : Hans Kodi Kode

Gender : Male

Alexios Achilleas Mandes

Character Name : Drowning Man Boat

Original Name : Alexios Achilleas Mandes

Gender : Male

Chris Kourtellas

Character Name : Fisherman #1

Original Name : Chris Kourtellas

Gender : Male

Triantafyllos Omiridis

Character Name : Fisherman #2

Original Name : Triantafyllos Omiridis

Gender : Male

Evri Sophroniadou

Character Name : Laerte's Nurse

Original Name : Εύρη Σοφρωνιάδου

Gender : Female

Anastasia Ntinou

Character Name : Farm Girl

Original Name : Anastasia Ntinou

Gender : Male

Δημήτρης Σέρφας

Character Name : Young Farmer

Original Name : Δημήτρης Σέρφας

Gender : Male

Pietro Pasqualetti

Character Name : Agenor

Original Name : Pietro Pasqualetti

Gender : Male

Bruno Cassandra

Character Name : Promachus

Original Name : Bruno Cassandra

Gender : Male

Adel Ahmed

Character Name : Agelaus

Original Name : Adel Ahmed

Gender : Male

Raul Salzano

Character Name : Paralos

Original Name : Raul Salzano

Gender : Male

Reviews

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2025-04-10

There something about this film that reminded me of “The Mission” (1986) as it simply depicts the rudimentary lives of the people on Ithaca many years after their King Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) joined the forces of Agamemnon to fight the Trojan War. His wife, Queen Penelope (Juliette Binoche) has been struggling to raise their rather timid son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) whilst being besieged by a slew of suitors who are convinced her husband is dead and want to marry their way onto the throne. When a man is washed up on the beach after a terrific storm, he is taken in by a friendly pig farmer who nurses him back to health and fills him in on the goings on in this now lawless and largely bankrupt kingdom. It’s pretty clear to us watching who he is, and the remainder of this drama illustrates the struggles of a man conflicted. Certainly, he wants to reclaim what once was his but he is also questioning whether or not he should, or even could, in the face of the scheming Antinous (Marwan Kenzari) who is fairly shamelessly using the safety of her son as leverage to be the one she chooses. Now if you are looking for a sword and sandals adventure, or anything you might have seen Ray Harryhausen animate, then this won’t be for you. It is a much more intense, personal, story of a man coming to terms with the ravages of time and war. There’s next to no sword play, no lions to fight or maidens luring him from to the rocks; indeed this whole story is entirely confined to the concluding phase of Homer’s epic that is solely based on the island. It’s also worth noting that Zeus, Apollo and their Olympian family do not feature at all in this history. It’s all told, bare bones, from the perspective of a character that Fiennes presents well enough, but for my money too theatrically. His less-is-more style coupled with a real paucity of dialogue and Uberto Pasolini’s borderline lethargic direction can make this an almost real-time and sluggish portrayal of an exhausted man, and exhausted population and an even more exhausted wife. On that last point, Binoche has precious little to say for herself throughout and though she looks the part, I didn’t think she was given enough to do to impose herself on the story until the very end, where the thing comes alive for a few moments - but again, in a very stage-bound fashion. The photography and locations do much to authenticate the story, as does the entire production design but given this project was thirty years from first page to first screening, too much objectivity had been lost to the labour of love that this clearly is for Fiennes and Pasolini and though it’s perfectly watchable, it’s just missing that something special.