The Return
2003 · Movie · 111 min · ★ 7.3 · 89% critics
Two young brothers in contemporary Russia are reunited with a father they barely know after his sudden return from a long absence. With their mother’s reluctant consent, they set off on a remote trip that turns into an uneasy test of trust and authority, pushing fragile bonds to the limit as they move deeper into the wilderness.
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Details
- Original title
- Возвращение
- Years
- 2003
- Release date
- 2003-06-25
- Language
- Russian
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Critic score
- 89/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.3/10 (705 votes)
- Box office
- $4,400,000
- Budget
- $400,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy The Return if you want an intense, emotionally honest family journey in stark wilderness with lots of uneasy tension; Not for you if you prefer clear answers, fast pacing, or lighter comfort—especially if you’ve disliked similar bleak dramas like In My Father's Den or Nobody Knows.
Pros: heartfelt family tension; memorable bleak atmosphere; striking Russian nature | Cons: slow pacing; limited explanations; heavy, disturbing themes
Themes
- brother
- abusive father
- relationship problems
- road trip
- troubled teen
- father son reunion
- troubled past
- troubled youth
- father son relationship
- roadtrip
- dysfunctional father-son relationship
Awards & recognition
- Tromsø International Film Festival's audience award · 2004
- European Film Award — European Discovery of the Year · 2003
- Golden Lion · 2003
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 2004 · nominated
- European Film Award — European Discovery of the Year · 2003 · nominated
Cast & crew
- VG
Vladimir Garin
as Andrey
Konstantin Lavronenko
as Father
Nataliya Vdovina
as Mother
Ivan Dobronravov
as Ivan
- LD
Lazar Dubovik
as Hooligan
- LK
Lyubov Kazakova
as Girl in the Mirror
Galina Petrova
as Grandmother
- AS
Aleksey Suknovalov
as Zavodila
- AS
Andrey Sumin
as Man at Port
Elizaveta Aleksandrova
as Olya
Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev