THE STORY – After 20 years away, Odysseus washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The king finds much has changed since he left to fight in the Trojan War. His beloved wife, Penelope, is a prisoner in her own home and hounded to choose a new husband. Their son faces death at the hands of suitors who see him as an obstacle in their pursuit of Penelope and the kingdom. Odysseus is no longer the mighty warrior his people remember, but he must face his past to save his family.
THE CAST – Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Charlie Plummer, Marwan Kenzari, Tom Rhys Harries, Amir Wilson & Ángela Molina
THE TEAM – Uberto Pasolini (Director/Writer), Edward Bond & John Coliee (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 116 Minutes
“The Odyssey” might be one of history’s oldest texts and one of the oldest stories adapted in the visual medium. Since the silent film era’s “L’Odissea” (1911), filmmakers have taken Homer’s essential work and adapted it in various ways throughout a century of filmmaking. This time, acclaimed producer and filmmaker Uberto Pasolini takes a crack at this tale with “The Return,” which marks the third time actors Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche star opposite one another. Unfortunately, while “The Return” has the makings of an excellent adaptation, especially with two heavyweight talents in front of the camera, Pasolini’s interpretation of “The Odyssey” is a bland retelling that often leaves you perplexed as to why it struggles to work.
For those who weren’t assigned summer reading of Homer’s two seminal poems before starting high school, here’s the synopsis: “The Return” focuses on the island of Ithaca twenty years after the Trojan War began. As Queen Penelope (Binoche) and her son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) await for their long-lost king Odysseus (Fiennes) to return from Troy, Ithaca becomes swarmed with corrupt men who wish to take the hand of the queen. Odysseus, presumed to be dead, returns to his home disillusioned with the conflict he’s experienced and embarks on a journey to reclaim his homeland and, most importantly, his family. While “The Return” is a leaner and fairly straightforward retelling, Passolini is clearly allured by the more grounded aspects of “The Odyssey” as his adaptation strays away from the more deity-oriented facets of the story. Greek gods have no significant involvement in the grand scheme of things, as Passolini focuses on man and the terror he could inflict. There’s a segment in Homer’s work where Odysseus laments his adventures not only from the Trojan War but also in the decade since the war ended. This film is enamored with the mental tolls that derive from warfare and isolation.
In “The Return” there’s a similar moment as audiences watch a disillusioned Odyssuss recount his efforts in the Trojan War, and it’s the moment where it clicks for viewers on what Passolini is trying to convey. It helps immensely to have a performer as skilled as Fiennes who can effortlessly emote sorrow. We witness a man not only at odds with the horrors of his actions but also has to face the disappointment of those whose grand imposed myths of their former king are slowly eroded in front of their eyes. Fiennes, an interesting choice for Odysseus, nails it, delivering an incredibly engaging performance that rises above the material given to him. Fiennes goes so above and beyond for this role that his jaw-dropping physical transformation never fails to elicit some awe despite the physicality of his character never being properly implemented besides a scene or two. Interestingly enough, there is a similar throughline between his performance here and his work in Edward Berger’s “Conclave” released earlier this year. Fiennes’s background as a classically trained theater actor makes him incredibly successful at conveying emotional turmoil, far better than most of the actors of his generation. Binoche does give him a run for his money as she also delivers stellar work in “The Return.” Her take on Penelope is splendid, equally conveying such internal frustration and grief in her own way. The audience can’t help but be locked in whenever the two share scenes.
That being said, it’s somewhat ironic that the strongest aspect of “The Return” is also what greatly hinders the film. The two lead performances by Fiennes and Binoche anchor the entire production, and it gets to a point where interest dwindles dramatically if they aren’t on screen. Of course, it isn’t their fault, especially when these two have such a familiarity with each other as performers that has only evolved since they worked together in the 1992 version of “Wuthering Heights.” Pasolini’s cherry-picking of “The Odyssey” makes sense in terms of being able to create a far more grounded story, but in exchange, it leads to something that feels more uninspired compared to fully embracing all its elements. When making an adaptation based on the vision, adjustments need to be made to make a narrative that feels cohesive for the film. With “The Return” it just comes off as bland storytelling that is only entertaining in parts.
The decision to remove certain chapters from “The Odyssey” only to elongate moments of boorish political intrigue and scheming slows down whatever momentum the film is trying to build up. It doesn’t help to mention everyone in the cast besides the two leads is not turning in the caliber of performance they are asked of. Plummer, who is essentially the third lead as Telemachus and a crucial part of “The Odyssey,” is often playing catch up compared to his co-stars, who have a far greater screen presence. It’s also a shame that often throughout “The Return,” such gorgeous locales that stun visually are juxtaposed with limited framing, coming off as something reminiscent of the CW series “The Chosen.” Additionally, the few action scenes that occur, mainly the grand finale, are staged and choreographed quite poorly.
It’s tough to stay focused with how dull the film is throughout its two-hour runtime, but failing to pull off such an important finale only squanders most of what has built up to it (even if Fiennes looks incredibly badass blasting opponents with a bow and arrow). Not even the fantastic final exchange between Fiennes and Binoche could muster up any goodwill for the experience as a whole.
