The Return

I really don't know what to make of this movie. I think the underlying message is that Russian youth feel abandoned by their country, which is now trying to make things good for them, but they feel that they do not need it. This film shared many aspects of an art film. I did notice many small things through out the film that seemed symbolic to me. It seemed that every traumatic even in the film was washed clean with water. The film opens with the boys jumping off of the tower, and the younger one needs to jump into the water to wash clean of his coward ism. Then when the father comes back it seems like every time he either hits or attacks one of the sons it then too it was washed clean by the rain. When he drops the younger son off at the side of the road it's perfect out, but when he comes back to make amends its now raining. Again later when they are in the boat, he makes them row, but then it starts raining again. And finally, once the father dies and is left on the boat it sinks. When I saw that, after a movie filled with subtle Christian images, I thought that seemed a little like a baptism and as soon as that happened both the boys seemed to forgive him, it was all very interesting.

All in all I'm not really sure that I like this movie. I mean it was an interesting story, and was shot great, but there was just something about that left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Despite all of that I do appreciate and respect the movie for what it is worth and its great use of artistic imagery.