30/25
After 20 years, Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife imprisoned by rival suitors for the throne and his son facing death at their hands. Odysseus must find his strength to reclaim his family and all he has lost. This is the third time Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche have starred together in a film. They previously worked together in Wuthering Heights (1992) and The English Patient (1996). Penelope: How Men Find Their Way to War, But Can’t Find Their Way Home. Odysseus: For Some, War Becomes Home The viewer is drawn into the multifaceted pain and suffering of Penelope and Odysseus as Odysseus returns home to Ithaca, a study that seemed to explore quite systematically the challenges that many soldiers face. returning from active duty, including PTSD and other mental health issues, returning to one’s former life with family and society, flashbacks of memories and pain both endured and inflicted, and the resulting internal change that is irreversible. The Return is powered by a brilliant cast to allow the viewer to experience this roller coaster ride that the two main characters ride to remarkable heights, the latter due to the unique and special resilience of both Penelope and Odysseus during this difficult time in their lives. and without each other’s support. In fact, the two are kept quite apart for most of the build-up, which only makes the catharsis more powerful in the more intense, thriller-like later part of an otherwise slow-burning film. Fiennes brings a unique style of suffering depiction to this work – a brilliant extension of his superb skills in his juxtaposition of pain and anguish in Spider-Man and The End of the Affair. Binoche is a perfect choice for Penelope, as the viewer is somewhat tricked into feeling and hoping that the two will meet again in the same way that they were close throughout The English Patient, and Pasolini uses that to add tension to this work for those whose memories of The English Patient are vivid. This is a great and very meaningful work that must be experienced!
