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Zvyagintsev's 'The Return' and 'Elena'


Compelling, moving and visually stunning; The Return aka Vozvrashchenie is a haunting psychological thriller that haunts you much after you have finished watching it.

***Spoiler Alert!***

It has been a long time since I last watched this. Though I will try to give a simple interpretation, I make no claims that it is the only or the right interpretation.

We see in the opening scene, the fear of the kid, his torment on being an outcast by his friends. The two brothers even don't have a perfect relationship. The only memory of their father that they have is a picture of him.

Seeing the mental state of the kid and haziness of the few shots afterwards, one is made to think of the rest of the story as a dream. Like in Lynch's construction of a dream, the elements of pain and longing are replaced by our fantasies of how we want reality to be. It's a vivid dream where the father comes back mysteriously and they go on a trip where he fulfills all the responsibility of a father.
Perhaps, a journey was made by the two brothers as depicted by the photographs towards the end, and the memories of this journey also manifested itself into the dream.

Beautifully shot in stunning locations, momentary silences which fills within, Zvyagintsev has done his masterpiece wonderfully. I would say Lynch got himself a friend... but with his own individuality.


Still Frames. Focus in and out throughout. Swift movements - An absolutely matured sense of direction (Though less passionate than The Return).

Unlike The Return, Elena has no elements of a psychological thriller. It is based on the characters, most importantly Elena of course. Elena's feelings when they (Her husband and she) first met is is not shown. Nor we can conclude or judge whether Elena really loved him.

Love and Hate are probably circumstantial. Elena asks her husband, "What right do you have to decide?" (On sharing the property). And, she commits the same mistake that he was doing, as even she doesn't have the right to take someone's life.

The film is definitely about something more than the central plot. It also addresses the tendencies we inherit from our genes. Like father, Like son... Like mother, like daughter (A goddamn Hedonist!)... and other corollaries.

Towards the end, the film is shown not to have solved the problem but created ground for a lot more to come. Sergei is looking at the guys playing football (symbolizing some upcoming violence) and His father is enjoying the luxuries and it is clear that he will get used to it and will do anything not to loose it.

Personal Note: Some genes rooted in violence, some genes in money. Strangely, they often find each other!

The Return is a film that matters and Zvyagintsev's work is something to look forward to.

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