The Return
The Return Image
Metascore
82 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 30 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 27 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Summary: In contemporary Russia young brothers Vanya and Andrey have grown a deep attachment to each other to make up for their fatherless childhood. They are shocked to discover their father has returned after a twelve year absence. With their mother's uneasy blessing Vanya and Andrey set out on what they believe will be a fishing vacation with their taciturn father. (Kino International)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    100
    The Russian film The Return is a stunning contemporary fable about a divided family in the wilderness - a simple, riveting film that almost achieves greatness.
  2. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    100
    Enriched by allusions to biblical stories of fathers, sons, and sacrifices, subtly woven into the movie's moodily photographed fabric.
  3. Empire
    Reviewed by: David Hughes
    80
    Garin’s performance is just one of the note-perfect elements in The Return -- unfussy acting, unhurried direction, sublime cinematography and low-key music -- which conspire to draw the audience into a deceptively simple story with numerous hidden depths.
  4. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    60
    With exceptional performances and extraordinary imagery, Zvyagintsev has fashioned a remarkable first feature.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 2 out of 17
  1. BillH.
    10
    Brilliant and beautiful moving film.
  2. CitizenKhan
    9
    Truly tense and emotionally riveting.
  3. DanC.
    9
    I found it amazingly compelling. The simultaneous dread and wonder that the boys experience in the first scenes after their father's return is extremely well done. The unfolding of the story and its resolution drew me in completely. A film very much worth seeing.… Expand
  4. DavidH.
    4
    Well-acted, but the screenplay is elliptical and implausible (I know Russians aren't exactly well reputed for their manners or social skills, but fathers don't walk in on their kids for the firs time in 12 years by surprise without telling them where they've or what they've done). The story arc of the dad returning to hoping resolve an existential crisis in his children and to teach them about individual responsibility is his hammered home in an obvious fashion that doesn't hold up for two hour, halfway through which I lost all interest. The direction and photography are affected and pretentious. Zvyagentsev appears to fancy himself as a kind of post-Soviet era Tarksovsky, but lacks the imagination or human insight of the said director.… Expand

See all 17 User Reviews

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