movie poster for THE RETURN

Flicks ID

11677

Cert

12

Running time

106 mins

Country

Language

Format

DVD

THE RETURN (2003)

ANDREY ZVYAGINTSEV

Plot

Andrey and Vanya are two young boys growing up alone with their mother. There is a solidarity to the family, a closeness born out of hardship and emotional dependence, but it is the re-appearance of their father after over a decade's absence that will prove the lads greatest test of brotherhood. Reluctantly allowed on a fishing trip with their new found father, what should have been an exercise in family bonding becomes a tortuous and punishing journey of discovery. "The Return" is a thriller that works just as well as a human drama, relying as much on characterisation as it does plot; hard, gritty beautifully performed and stunningly shot in some breathtaking Russian scenery.