What if Odysseus didn’t want to return to Ithaca after the Trojan War? What if he were suffering from PTSD and didn’t want to take it out on his wife and son? These are the questions asked by The Return, an interpretation of the climax of Odyssey that is neither quite climactic, nor thorough.
But it is relevant for the generation weaned on Iliad and Odyssey. Will future generations hang their hats on the knowledge retained from reading these “classics” in middle school?
No. Not even a little. It is remarkable how much of education is defined by what was considered “classic” when you were a kid. All of that is irrelevant. Suffice to say being white and being of a certain age, I knew how this film was going to end before it started … and that did jade my experience in both good and bad ways.
Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes), lost king of Ithaca and hero of the Trojan War, has finally returned to his island kingdom.
He’s late.
Like ten years late.
And the war took ten years, so he hasn’t been home in 20 years. He never saw his son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) grow up, and he missed the part where his wife, Queen Penelope (Juliette Binoche), has been hounded by would-be suitors for … a while.
Also missing is the part where nobody on this island has a job. Seriously. I heard people talk of being “slaves” and I saw a servant or two and there were hints of herding and farming, but if I had to swear it, I’d bet that nobody in Ithaca held down genuine employment. Well no wonder the island is falling apart.
The film begins with Odysseus washing up naked on the shores of Ithaca, disguised as being old. Twenty years can erase a lot of memories, especially in an era without facebook. At this moment, he barely has strength to crawl to safety let alone clothe himself or fight off suitors.
Now let’s get back to the suitors thing, because while I understand Homer
might have misinterpreted Odysseus’ motivation, I think he also got the suitors wrong.
Let me describe the scene: Penelope is a tired and somber middle-aged mother. Every day, she greets with controlled indifference a throng of about two dozen men who have come for her hand in marriage. I guess they get to be the king if she says, “Yes,” but king of what? Ithaca is an island where nobody works and nothing happens. I suppose you get to do nothing but live in the big pile of rocks on the top of the hill, but these guys are already doing nothing and living in the big pile of rocks at the top of the hill. Their whole lives are leeching off the auspices of what castle Ithaca has to offer.
Why are they there?
Seriously, why? Cuz I don’t buy it.
One man can linger around a cold, middle-aged woman indefinitely on the hope that his position will change. Two dozen men? No. Two dozen men do not linger around a cold, middle-aged woman indefinitely. No sir. That is not the truth. You don’t get an entourage without doing anything. There is something Homer has neglected to tell us and this screenplay didn’t find it.
Nonetheless, this is our story. Suitors, weakened Odysseus, a grown son not ready to be king, and a woman longing for a husband who has never returned. She promises to marry, but then plays games to make sure it never happens.
The Return is much more about the psychology of Odysseus and Penelope than any action in the story. It is a long-lost husband looking for redemption from his laundry list of sins and a loyal wife dealing with the pain of loss, the responsibility of rulership, and a constant throng of assholes hanging around. The more I think about the latter, the more puzzled I get – who came up with that arrangement without anything boiling over? I mean it’s kinda like having a football season that lasts twenty years in which the teams only play preseason games. Who would go for that?
I can’t say I recommend this film. I like the take on Odysseus as a warrior haunted by death and shame. This allows for a different take on the classic ending where the denouement represents not so much joy and relief as the ability to turn a page and move on with whatever is left of this life, this kingdom … but do you really need two hours to convey that? I don’t think so.
Odysseus was an Ithacan king
Went to war, cuz that was his thing
The foe he did slay
But got lost along the way
Twenty years late; what gift does he bring?
Rated R, 116 Minutes
Director: Uberto Pasolini
Writer: Edward Bond, John Collee, Homer
Genre: The Old Man and the She
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Homer fans
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People bugged by the specifics
