Programme Notes: The Return
A ferocious performance of simmering rage and extraordinary physicality, Fiennes stalks the screen as a ghostly presence, having being washed ashore on the Greek island of Ithaka as an anonymous vagabond in the aftermath of the Trojan War. Concealing his true identity as he seeks to make his way back to his estranged Queen Penelope (Juliette Binoche, The Taste of Things) and now-grown son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer, Lean on Pete), he must contend with the conniving opportunist Antinous (Marwan Kenzari, Murder on the Orient Express) and a violent swathe of potential suitors who seek to gain control of the kingdom.
The three-time Oscar nominated Fiennes (for Schindler’s List, The English Patient and the aforementioned Conclave) is no stranger to starring in cinematic translations of literary classics, having starred in John Le Carré adaptation The Constant Gardener & Shakespeare adaptations Macbeth (with stage luminary Indira Varma) and Coriolanus (with Vanessa Redgrave) – which he also directed. Indeed, he has already stepped into the blockbuster world of Greek myths and legends, too, having portrayed Greek God Hades in 2010’s Clash of the Titans and its 2012 sequel Wrath of the Titans. In The Return, Fiennes reinforces himself as one of the acting greats of our times with an understated turn of quiet intensity and presence – all set to violently unravel.
The film tantalisingly builds in brewing tension as Odysseus seeks to prove his identity, reclaim his dominion and rescue his family, setting the stage not only for a reunion of the characters of Odysseus and Penelope, but also Fiennes and Binoche as actors. Having starred together in both Peter Kosminsky’s 1992 Wuthering Heights and in the nine-time Oscar winning The English Patient in 1996 (including receiving a gong for Binoche’s remarkable supporting turn), The Return represents a cinematic homecoming as a duo some twenty-nine years in the making.
The good ship The Return is helmed by director Uberto Pasolini, who hones in on his trademark for intimate, character-driven storytelling contemplating mortality within the epic mythological scope The Odyssey provides. Far away from the fantastical, he instead opts for a gritty, altogether grounded approach, with the familial saga of Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus making for a compelling, richly crafted revenge and reconciliation story. His previous work includes the poignant James Norton parental drama Nowhere Special and the Eddie Marsan gem Still Life – and, as a producer, he also brought the life-affirming modern British classic The Full Monty to the screen.
Pasolini’s reimagining of Homer’s Ancient Greek epic arrives at The Tyneside just as modern filmmaking titan Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer) begins filming his own adaptation of The Odyssey throughout the Peloponnese region of Greece and Sicily. Due for release in July 2026, and reported to be staggering in its scale and ambition, Nolan’s star-studded cast includes Matt Damon as Odysseus and Tom Holland as Telemachus, alongside an incredible ensemble including Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Samantha Morton.
However, whereas Nolan’s epic is destined to be a blockbuster affair, with grand setpieces and fantastical elements, including a practical effects realised six-foot Cyclops, Pasolini’s outing is far more concerned with ground-level character introspection and pathos, punctuated by close-up heavy cinematography from Marius Panduru (which makes poetic use out of a blood in water motif) and an affecting strings score by renowned composer Rachel Portman (Emma, Never Let Me Go).
Similarly to Nolan’s venture, Fiennes and Binoche’s Grecian reunion was filmed on location across Corfu and the Peloponnese, as well as through Italy. Binoche delivers a stellar turn of determination and resilience, weaving a thematically potent shroud throughout the film until Odysseus’ climactic homecoming – which proves more than worth the wait and dramatic suspense.
Fiennes and Binoche make for a cinematic pairing worthy of the Greek Gods themselves in this commendably pared-back Homer adaptation, foregoing fantastical spectacle in favour of a richly textured, haunting story of familial reunion, legacy and honour.