Friday, January 27, 2006
The Return
The Return (2003)
Language: Russian
Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev
Language: Russian
Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev
The Return is a movie about a father and his 2 sons, to whom he returns after a span of 12 years, unexplained. The father acts nonchanantly, as if nothing extra ordinary has happened.
The movies begins with a scene in russia, a few young boys are standing on a jumping board over a lake. All the boys jump in one by one, but the youngest one, Ivan is afraid and is unable to. None of his mates wait for him, and leave him to his jumping. Alone, Ivan gets even more scared, and sits down near the jumping board, petrified, until his mother comes and rescues him. The next day, the brothers fight, play with their friends..., and when they go home...they find that their father has returned unannounced, unexplained after 12 yrs. Starting from the dinner table, he assumes the role of the dominant father.
The children obviously want to know the reason of his absence, but do not receive any such explanations from either of their parents.
The father, on the request of their mother decides to take the boys on a fishing trip. The elder one, Andrey, is more passive, who immediately acknowledges the father and is shown to be rather glad, ready and willing to be commanded. Ivan (Vanya), however, seems to distrust this complete stranger, and is irritated by the sudden turn of events; his unexplained father. He soon begins to display hostility, rebellion and refuses to cooperate during the trip distrusting his intentions and identity. His fathers hard - unsensitive behaviour towards the young boy further aggrevates Vanya's hostility and distrust.
The scenery are grey and gloomy and the characters are complex. The 3 day exposure to their father makes them men, and are able to stand up to the challenge that the plot throws at them in the end.
The acting, esp. by Ivan and Andrey is mindblowing. It was as if every emotion he had in his heart he was able to reflect on his face...stunning. One of the few brilliant movies I would recommend to anyone.
The father children relationship is really interesting. I can see my father having to face similar choices (in a broader sense) as the father here. My father wants to be a cool dad...a father who gives his children freedom, but at the same time wants to make sure that the freedom is not so much that it goes unchecked and eventually harms us. The line is very difficult to draw. My hostel expulsion and my infrequent homecomings alarmed my father, and made him wonder if the freedom was exceeding limits, because 'backfire' would be a very heavy price to pay. So, as a result I now ( for some time now) feel a burn on my freedom...
I can choose to be complaining... but just like he understands my needs, I must understand his worries too ... the worries of a parent... and give little freedom-sacrifices to keep relationships oiled...
Could the father in 'The Return' have behaved differently. There were hints to show that he was in the army... and hence his strict sense of discipline... his hard outer features... possibly his father must have been a hardball too... and hence he never got the right tips abt fatherhood...
Fantastic theme... brilliant execution...
The movies begins with a scene in russia, a few young boys are standing on a jumping board over a lake. All the boys jump in one by one, but the youngest one, Ivan is afraid and is unable to. None of his mates wait for him, and leave him to his jumping. Alone, Ivan gets even more scared, and sits down near the jumping board, petrified, until his mother comes and rescues him. The next day, the brothers fight, play with their friends..., and when they go home...they find that their father has returned unannounced, unexplained after 12 yrs. Starting from the dinner table, he assumes the role of the dominant father.
The children obviously want to know the reason of his absence, but do not receive any such explanations from either of their parents.
The father, on the request of their mother decides to take the boys on a fishing trip. The elder one, Andrey, is more passive, who immediately acknowledges the father and is shown to be rather glad, ready and willing to be commanded. Ivan (Vanya), however, seems to distrust this complete stranger, and is irritated by the sudden turn of events; his unexplained father. He soon begins to display hostility, rebellion and refuses to cooperate during the trip distrusting his intentions and identity. His fathers hard - unsensitive behaviour towards the young boy further aggrevates Vanya's hostility and distrust.
The scenery are grey and gloomy and the characters are complex. The 3 day exposure to their father makes them men, and are able to stand up to the challenge that the plot throws at them in the end.
The acting, esp. by Ivan and Andrey is mindblowing. It was as if every emotion he had in his heart he was able to reflect on his face...stunning. One of the few brilliant movies I would recommend to anyone.
The father children relationship is really interesting. I can see my father having to face similar choices (in a broader sense) as the father here. My father wants to be a cool dad...a father who gives his children freedom, but at the same time wants to make sure that the freedom is not so much that it goes unchecked and eventually harms us. The line is very difficult to draw. My hostel expulsion and my infrequent homecomings alarmed my father, and made him wonder if the freedom was exceeding limits, because 'backfire' would be a very heavy price to pay. So, as a result I now ( for some time now) feel a burn on my freedom...
I can choose to be complaining... but just like he understands my needs, I must understand his worries too ... the worries of a parent... and give little freedom-sacrifices to keep relationships oiled...
Could the father in 'The Return' have behaved differently. There were hints to show that he was in the army... and hence his strict sense of discipline... his hard outer features... possibly his father must have been a hardball too... and hence he never got the right tips abt fatherhood...
Fantastic theme... brilliant execution...
