Die Rückkehr (2003)
50KDie Rückkehr: Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev. With Vladimir Garin, Ivan Dobronravov, Konstantin Lavronenko, Nataliya Vdovina. In the Russian wilderness, two brothers face a range of new, conflicting emotions when their father – a man they know only through a single photograph – resurfaces.
“It amazing how many people have written comments about this movie, and surprising how lengthy their reviews are. Huge Hollywood blockbusters donu0026#39;t generate this kind of passion.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI donu0026#39;t know why this movie works so well, but it does. After the opening scenes, I was a bit concerned it might turn out to be a plodding, slow-paced film, but the plot keeps gathering steam and captures your interest. In this sense, it reminds me of Donna Tarttu0026#39;s brilliant book, u0026quot;A Secret Historyu0026quot;, whose the plot is difficult to describe in terms that sound interesting or exciting, but believe me, itu0026#39;s a book that keeps you awake at night because you canu0026#39;t bear to put it down and wait another day to find out what happens next.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movieu0026#39;s genius is in the way it keeps you guessing about the real identity of the father. It this man really their father? Is he planning to help them? Is he sincerely trying to get to know them, or is he a cold-hearted thug who plans on killing them once they are no longer of any use to him? When the movie ends, you canu0026#39;t be absolutely sure.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJust like u0026quot;All About Eveu0026quot; (Bette Davis), this movie has a rare sophistication. The characters might feel love and hate towards someone at the same time. In u0026quot;The Returnu0026quot;, the emotional complexity of the father/son relationship grabs your interest, then couples this with the mystery surrounding the father and his intentions.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you avoid foreign films because you think they are slow and boring (and in truth, many of them in the 1970s and 1980s were boring), this one will pleasantly surprise you. Itu0026#39;s certainly not some u0026quot;action flicku0026quot;, but you wonu0026#39;t be bored; youu0026#39;ll be transfixed.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEDIT: February 9, 2008. It has been about three years since I posted this. So far, I have no indication anyone has ever read it, so if you do, please vote whether the review was helpful or not. Thanks.”
