The Return (2003)

In the Russian wilderness, two brothers face a range of new, conflicting emotions when their father - a man they know only through a single photograph - resurfaces.

Director:

Andrey Zvyagintsev

Writers:

Vladimir Moiseenko, Aleksandr Novototskiy-Vlasov (as Aleksandr Novototskiy)

Stars:

Vladimir Garin, Ivan Dobronravov, Konstantin Lavronenko

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 31 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vladimir Garin	...	Andrey
Ivan Dobronravov	...	Ivan
Konstantin Lavronenko	...	Otets
Nataliya Vdovina	...	Mat
Galina Popova	...	Babushka
Aleksey Suknovalov	...	Zavodila
Lazar Dubovik	...	Khuligan
Elizaveta Aleksandrova	...	Ofitsiantka
Lyubov Kazakova	...	Devushka v zerkalakh
Andrey Sumin	...	Chelovek v portu
Aleksey Proshchikin
Viktor Alenin
Stas Orlov
Arseniy Belousov
Sofya Bagdasarova

Storyline

The events of the film unfold over six days and tell about the mysterious journey of a strange man and his two teenage sons who had never seen him before. Vanya and Andrey, for how long they remember, lived with their mother, who once told them that their father was a pilot. But one ordinary Monday, dad appears in their house and takes the brothers on a hike to a small island in the middle of a forest lake.

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Plot Keywords:

male protagonist | boy | russian | russia | wilderness | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Kino International (English) Lighthouse Pictures [Singapore]

Country:

Russia

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

25 June 2003 (Russia)

Also Known As:

The Return

Filming Locations:

Russia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,795, 8 February 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$502,028, 5 September 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ren Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 99 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Russia for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 76th Academy Awards in 2004.

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Goofs

When Ivan is sitting in the car, the camera pans around the car (before we see him grab the binoculars and begin to use them) - as it pans past the triangular car window you can see the camera reflected in it.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[on-screen caption: Sunday]
[boy falls in the water, then floats up]
Zavodila: Jump as we agreed! Who climbs down the ladder is a cowardly wanker.
[swims to the shore]
Boy on Tower: Go on, Vityok. You're next.

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Connections

Featured in The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2004)

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Soundtracks

VI Benedictus
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

Staggering

I wandered a bit from commenting movies. But I had to return. This movie made me do it. I didn't know anything about it. I only saw one trailer, that did its job perfectly. Everyone said it was incredible. I went and saw it. I found it more than incredible, staggering at least. It start as a pure, simple story and never wanders from its main character or its story not the slightest bit. Its jaw-breaking stripped-to-the-bone structure is a true novelty. Its young actors reveal themselves worthy of a standing ovation. It's difficult to find words to talk about this movie when it conveys such emotion by so few means. It's a fantastic, cold and often unbearable voyage through a deserted horizon, and one of the best movies of the year.