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The Return, 2003
Two brothers, Ivan (Ivan Dobronravov) and Andrei (Vladimir Garin) are shocked then their absentee father (Konstantin Lavronenko) returns after a 12 year absence. The two boys and their father embark on a weekend road trip, but tensions rise as Ivan takes an increasingly defiant attitude toward his father. The question of why the father has returned and where he has been hangs over them.
This was my nomination, but it's something I haven't seen since it came out in 2003. Generally speaking, movies I liked in my late teens or early 20s often go down in my esteem when I rewatch them. I am pleased to say that I really enjoyed this film a second time around.
I'll start by saying that I had remembered some stuff that is not in the film. I think I was conflating it with another film. I thought I remembered some ominous men who appeared in the movie, but that's not at all what this film is after.
This is a sub-genre I really enjoy: character-based thrillers. The tension derives almost entirely from the dynamics between the characters. There are hints of something amiss, such as when the father strikes out on his own in a remote, rural spot.
The best part of the film is the dynamic between the brothers and their father. Andrei, who is older, clearly craves the approval and love of his long-absent father. But Ivan, who is too young to have romantic notions of the man, is a mix of resentment and suspicion. It doesn't help that so many of their father's interactions with them---the kind of "character building"/be a REAL MAN stuff--border on abusive or violent. Lacking the grounding of a real relationship, his attempts come of more creepy than caring, such as when he insists on serving them alcohol at a meal, or makes them row a boat in a heavy rain. The question of why he has returned seems tangled up in the question of whether he intends to stay. Both questions linger and linger, and the lack of clarity begins to wear on both boys, especially Ivan.
I think that this is a solid thriller, and I am really pleased that my positive opinion from so many years ago has mostly been upheld. I'm glad to see that a few others in this thread have also enjoyed it.
The Return, 2003
Two brothers, Ivan (Ivan Dobronravov) and Andrei (Vladimir Garin) are shocked then their absentee father (Konstantin Lavronenko) returns after a 12 year absence. The two boys and their father embark on a weekend road trip, but tensions rise as Ivan takes an increasingly defiant attitude toward his father. The question of why the father has returned and where he has been hangs over them.
This was my nomination, but it's something I haven't seen since it came out in 2003. Generally speaking, movies I liked in my late teens or early 20s often go down in my esteem when I rewatch them. I am pleased to say that I really enjoyed this film a second time around.
I'll start by saying that I had remembered some stuff that is not in the film. I think I was conflating it with another film. I thought I remembered some ominous men who appeared in the movie, but that's not at all what this film is after.
This is a sub-genre I really enjoy: character-based thrillers. The tension derives almost entirely from the dynamics between the characters. There are hints of something amiss, such as when the father strikes out on his own in a remote, rural spot.
The best part of the film is the dynamic between the brothers and their father. Andrei, who is older, clearly craves the approval and love of his long-absent father. But Ivan, who is too young to have romantic notions of the man, is a mix of resentment and suspicion. It doesn't help that so many of their father's interactions with them---the kind of "character building"/be a REAL MAN stuff--border on abusive or violent. Lacking the grounding of a real relationship, his attempts come of more creepy than caring, such as when he insists on serving them alcohol at a meal, or makes them row a boat in a heavy rain. The question of why he has returned seems tangled up in the question of whether he intends to stay. Both questions linger and linger, and the lack of clarity begins to wear on both boys, especially Ivan.
I think that this is a solid thriller, and I am really pleased that my positive opinion from so many years ago has mostly been upheld. I'm glad to see that a few others in this thread have also enjoyed it.