With Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey right around the bend, folks are reflecting on prior interpretations of Homer's classic. Alas, some may overlook one of the most recent: Uberto Pasolini's The Return, which entered theaters in late 2024, though to little public fanfare.
The movie, which Pasolini scripted with Edward Bond and John Collee, focuses on the end of Odysseus (Ulysses)' journey, returning home after twenty, meandering years, where his faithful wife, Penelope, waits and snide, entitled suiters hunger for the chance to seize a kingdom that they never earned.
Ralph Fiennes is amazing in the lead: world-weary yet determined to set matters right. He's joined by Juliette Binoche as Penelope, Charlie Plummer as Telemachus, Angela Molina as Eurycleia, Marwan Kenzari as Antinous and Tom Rhys Harries as Peisander. Determination and trickery link them and empower this Ithaca tale with a countdown tension that's allegorical, but to a greater extent, palpable.
The Return made me recall not only Homer's foundation, but Rod Serling's "One More Pallbearer," where a man faces his foes in order to expose their actions. However, with The Twilight Zone tale, there's a poignant, psychological catch. The Return, on the other hand, adheres to Odysseus' vengeful myth, and it's done so much better in this cinematic instance than in others. Sure, it's not the sort of outcome that would occur in real life (it's far too steely and idealized for that), but in the realm of wishful-thinking make-believe, it's just what the doctor ordered: a pleasing sedative that's delivered through clear-cut, arrow-aimed justice.
I suppose Fiennes' Odysseus could have been bestowed a few flashbacks to convey his previous exploits, including glimpses at the Trojan Horse, Polyphemus, Circe, Calypso and the sirens, but if so, these additives may have been too jarring within the context of this segment or they may have implied that Odysseus's memory was faulty or skewed, that he wasn't one of sound mind, but he is. That's what makes his revenge so sweet.
In my estimation, The Return is required viewing. In fact, I can't recommend it enough, and if you haven't seen it, or perhaps even feel compelled to give it another view, it awaits at Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, Paramount+ and a number of other convenient, streaming services. Seize the opportunity to engage this stealthy gem. You won't regret it.
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