The Return (2003 film)
| The Return | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Andrey Zvyagintsev |
| Produced by | Yelena Kovalyova Dmitry Lesnevsky |
| Written by | Vladimir Moiseyenko Aleksandr Novototsky |
| Starring | Vladimir Garin Ivan Dobronravov Konstantin Lavronenko Natalia Vdovina |
| Music by | Andrei Dergatchev |
| Distributed by | Kino International (US) |
| Release date(s) | 25 June 2003 |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian |
The Return (Russian: Возвращение, Vozvrashcheniye) is a 2003 Russian film released internationally in 2004. It tells the story of two Russian boys whose father suddenly returns home after a 12-year absence. He takes the boys on a holiday to a remote island on a lake that turns into a test of manhood of almost mythic proportions. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
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[edit] Plot
In contemporary Russia, young brothers Ivan (the younger one) and Andrei have grown a deep attachment to each other to make up for their fatherless childhood. Both their mother and grandmother live with them. After running home after a fight with each other, the boys are shocked to discover their father has returned after a 12-year absence. With their mother's uneasy blessing, Ivan and Andrei set out on what they believe will be a simple fishing vacation with him.
Andrei is delighted to be reunited with the father whereas Ivan is full of reservation towards the man whom they only know from a faded photograph.
At first both bothers are pleased with the prospect of an exciting journey, but they soon strain under the weight of their dad's awkward and increasingly brutal efforts to make up for the missing decade. Ivan and Andrei find themselves alternately tested, rescued, scolded, mentored, scrutinized, and ignored by the man. Andrei seems to look up to his father while Ivan remains stubbornly defensive.
As truck stops and cafés give way to rain-swept, primeval wilderness coastline, Ivan's doubts give way to open defiance. Andrei's powerful need to bond with a father he's never known begins, in turn, to distance him from Ivan. Ivan and his father's test of Will escalates into bitter hostility and sudden violence after the trio arrives at their mysterious island destination.
[edit] Cast
- Vladimir Garin as Andrei
- Ivan Dobronravov as Ivan (Vanya)
- Konstantin Lavronenko as Father
- Natalia Vdovina as Mother
[edit] Production
The Return was filmed on and around Lake Ladoga and the Gulf of Finland. The budget of the film remains a secret, though in an interview the director and the producer hinted that it was well below $500,000. The director also mentioned that the producers made their money back even before it was screened at Venice Film Festival.
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Winner, Golden Lion
- Winner, Best First Film
- Winner, European Discovery of the Year (Fassbinder Award)
- Winner, Best Foreign Film
- Nominee, Best Foreign Language Film Russia
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official website
- The Return at the Internet Movie Database
- The Return at Rotten Tomatoes
- Movie Trailer and Screenshots
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