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Thursday, December 12, 2024

‘The Return’ Trailer: An Odyssey-Inspired Journey Filmed in Greece

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The Return Odyssey
Ralph Fiennes plays Odysseus and Juliette Binoche is Penelope in The Return. Credit: Bleecker Street

The Return, a unique adaptation of the famous Greek story The Odyssey, premieres in theaters on Friday, December 6th, 2024.

The Odyssey follows the mighty Odysseus charting a course across the land’s treacherous oceans, with him and his crew coming across everything from rival legions of soldiers to hulking mythological creatures.

Odysseus is the sole survivor of this epic quest, and what makes The Return unique is that it only focuses on the final portion of Odysseus’ story – his journey home.

The new trailer shows an older and virtually recognizable Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) as he sees the island he once called home become ransacked and polluted by callous and reprehensible men. These men are here to win the hand of Odysseus’s wife, Penelope (Juliette Binoche), as Odysseus himself has been long presumed dead since embarking on his Odyssey.

While Odysseus is apprehensive about revealing himself and facing the families of his fallen crew members, these suitors will soon find out that the King of this part of Greece does not take kindly to thugs and usurpers.

The Return was shot in Greece

Following a world first at Toronto in September, the movie had its Greek premiere at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival recently, in the presence of the director and the lead actors.

Binoche and Fiennes had received honorary Golden Alexander awards for being “not just great actors, but also two courageous explorers of human feelings, pioneers of their art, genuine narrators of unique stories,” as explained by the Festival’s Artistic Director, Orestis Andreadakis.

Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche receive honorary Golden Alexander awards.
Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche receive honorary Golden Alexander awards. Credit: Thessaloniki International Film Festival

“The Return” director Uberto Pasolini disclosed that he had been thinking about making a movie on the Odyssey for thirty years until he finally approached the starring duo with a proposal.

Fiennes pointed out that the movie script held no surprises, as the Odyssey was a story he had known since he was a child, but he had to understand the director’s version which focused on the hero’s inner struggle.

“Uberto has managed to imbue his characters with psychological depth, offering us a beautiful challenge,” the acclaimed actor said.

“I’ve been to Ithaca twice, it is a place that exudes such a powerful energy,” said Fiennes. The actor has traveled extensively in Greece, especially in the Peloponnese.

Filming for “The Return” took place primarily on Corfu and in the Peloponnese, aided by Greek co-producer Kostantinos Kontovrakis, who found it “incredibly important for a Greek producer to have the opportunity to make a movie based on the Odyssey epic, and to preserve the values keeping it relevant and timely.”

Related: Binoche and Fiennes Talk Pasolini’s New Odyssey-Inspired Movie

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