The director’s new project, Foad Mikati, which was released in 2015, is the second in his creative career after the action movie Hell Endgame (2009). The film "Return to Sender" has a lot of shortcomings, a low IMDb rating: 5.00. But there is an undeniable dignity in him in the form of the leading actor Rosamund Pike.
The picture tells the story of the provincial nurse Miranda Wells, for whom an attempt to establish a romantic relationship with a stranger ends with abuse and severe emotional trauma.
Genre delights
Critics, analyzing the project, could not agree on the definition of its genre policy. The creators position the tape as a dramatic thriller. However, reviewers question this claim. Indeed, “Return to Sender" (2015) is not a judicial drama in which the victim is forced to prove his innocence in what happened.
The police will detect and prosecute the abuser for the crime committed after five minutes of timing after a dramatic moment. Also, with difficulty, the tape can be considered a thriller. There, usually a heroine, angry at everyone and everything, administers justice on her own. According to movie experts in the reviews, “Return to the Sender” is a leisurely story about restoring physical and mental balance, not healing, but rehabilitation after an aggressive alien invasion of a familiar way of life.
Narrative structure
The painting, created in pastel colors and shades, stubbornly repeats the well-known truth - everything returns with a boomerang. Moreover, retaliation is usually harsh and uncompromising. The idea of ​​the story is understandable, but since there is practically no full-fledged script, as well as adequate directing, the audience’s interest is very quickly lost, and the characters do not cause much empathy.
The denouement, as noted by critics in the reviews of “Return to Sender,” is undoubtedly unexpected, nevertheless banal. The narrative completely loses intrigue and anxiety 10 minutes before the final credits. This is another disappointment. Cinema from drama turns into a thriller, losing structural integrity. The public has an unpleasant aftertaste - a mixture of disappointment, a touch of boredom and dissatisfaction.
Acting Ensemble
According to most opinions expressed in the reviews of “Return to the sender”, the tape rests on the charisma of three actors - Rosamund Pike, Shiloh Fernandez and Nick Nolte.
The English performer Rosamund Pike, who perfectly revealed the image of the main character, is known to the public for the films “Die, but not now”, “Promised Land”, “Libertine” and “Pride and Prejudice”. Pike is not the first time to act in a thriller. Her acting breakthrough is considered the main role in "Disappeared" (2014).
Also, critics in the reviews for “Return to Sender” unanimously praise Nick Nolte, who played the father of the main character. However, it could not be otherwise. Three-time nominee for Oscar and Emmy, Golden Globe laureate, despite his venerable age, did not lose his skill. Nolty’s track record includes well-known films: 48 Hours, Cape of Fear, Thin Red Line, Soldiers of Failure, Hulk, and many others.
The character of actor Shailo Fernandez will also be remembered by the viewer. The American performer and model convincingly got used to the image of the scoundrel-rapist William Finn. The picture “Little Red Riding Hood” is currently considered the most significant project in Shiloh’s filmography.