The film "Return" - a dramatic picture of 2003, the debut work of the director and screenwriter Andrei Zvyagintsev. Unexpectedly, many fell into the main competition of the prestigious Venice Film Festival and later won the main prize of the Golden Lion show, as well as several less significant awards. Later, the film entered the numerous lists of the best paintings of the twenty-first century.
Producer
The director and screenwriter of the film was Andrei Zvyagintsev. Actor by education, he practically did not work in theater and cinema, played only a few episodic roles. Since the late nineties, he began working as a director of commercials. In 2000, he shot three short stories for the television series Black Room.
Thanks to the excellent reviews of the film "The Return", the directorial and screenwriting debut of Zvyagintsev, he received international recognition. The author’s subsequent paintings invariably fell into the competition of prestigious European film festivals, and the last two works, the drama Leviathan and Dislike, fell into the top five Academy Award nominees in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
History of creation
The script for the film was copied several times, in the original version all the main action of the picture was presented as a flashback, the memoirs of two brothers several decades after what was happening. However, this idea was decided to abandon. Locations for filming were chosen for a long time and carefully. The film crew studied the territory between Lake Ladoga and the Gulf of Finland for about a month. As a result, the shooting took place in the cities of Vyborg, Priozersk and Zelenogorsk, Leningrad Region. The budget of the picture was 400 thousand dollars.
Plot
The plot of the film "Return" is as follows: two brothers, the youngest Ivan and the eldest Andrei, live with their mother, who justifies the absence of the father of the brothers by the fact that he is a pilot. Once, unexpectedly for everyone, the father returns home. The father tells the boys that the three of them will go camping. On the road, a man often behaves in an incomprehensible way for his brothers, tries to teach them life lessons and more and more sets them against himself. He explains to Ivan and Andrey that he needs to get to the island within three days, where a chest is hidden, which should be unearthed.
During the trip, the father continues his harsh upbringing of the boys. During one of the quarrels, he beats his eldest son, after which he promises to kill his father if he touches him again.
Finally, the family arrives on the island and finds a chest. However, as a result of a quarrel between his father and brothers, Ivan climbs into an abandoned lighthouse and threatens to fall down. Father is trying to climb the lighthouse on the outside, but breaks down and falls down. The boys load the father’s body into the boat and go back, but when they arrive at the place, the boat begins to sink with his father and the chest. When they get in the car, they see that in the family photo, where his father used to be, he is no longer there.
The summary of the film "Return" is hardly able to explain the plot of the film and the topics that it explores. The picture tells the story in an allegorical manner, often the film is even compared with a parable. The events of the picture can be interpreted from different angles, so after watching it is worth reading the reviews about the film "Return" from other viewers who express their interpretations of the plot.
Actors
The role of the father of the brothers was played by the actor Konstantin Lavronenko, for whom "Return" was the first major work. Later, he worked with Andrei Zvyagintsev in the second film of the director "Exile". The film was shown in the main competition of the Cannes Film Festival, and Lavronenko himself became the first and so far the only winner of the Best Actor Award from Russia.
The role of Ivan was played in the film "The Return" by actor Ivan Dobronravov, the son of the famous comedian Fedor Dobronravov. He later became famous for his role in the series "Cadetism".
The performer of the role of Andrei Vladimir Garin died a few months before the premiere of the film at the age of sixteen, drowning in a lake.
Premiere and Awards
The film "Return" unexpectedly for many fell into the main competition of the prestigious Venice Film Festival. After the premiere, the audience gave a fifteen-minute standing ovation. The film was recognized as the main sensation of the festival. As a result of the review, the picture received the main award "Golden Lion", as well as a prize for the best directorial debut and several other awards.
After the Russian premiere, excellent reviews of the film "Return" made him a favorite of national film awards. As a result, the picture received three Golden Eagle awards: for the best film, the work of the cameraman and sound engineer, as well as two Nika awards: for the best film and best camera work.
In addition, the painting "Return" was nominated for the Cesar and Golden Globe Awards in the nomination "Best Film in a Foreign Language".
Reviews
Reviews of the film "Return" both among critics and viewers were positive. The picture was able to raise more than four million dollars at the world box office, which is an excellent indicator for author's cinema. The film is included in the lists of the best films of the twenty-first century according to Russian and foreign film critics. It is also among the best Russian films according to the users of "Kinopoisk" and "Live Journal".