THE RETURN aka VOZVRASHCHENIYE

Year: 2003
UK: UGC Films UK
Cast: Vladimir Garin, Ivan Dobronravov, Konstantin Lavronenko, Natalya Vdovina, Galina Petrova
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Country: Russia
Language: Russian (English subtitles)
UK: 106 mins
UK Certificate: 12A contains moderate emotional intensity and threat
UK Release Date: 25 June 2004


Synopsis

Twelve years after leaving his wife and two young sons, a husband and father (Konstantin Lavronenko) returns without any explanation or apology. His sons Andrey (Vladimir Garin) and Ivan (Ivan Dobronravov) are forced by their mother (Natalya Vdovina) to accompany their father on a fishing trip to the remote Russian countryside.

The prospect excites the older and eager-to-please Andrey, happy that his father has returned, but Ivan, too young to remember this man, cannot forgive or respect someone who is essentially a stranger.

They eventually arrive at a lakeside where their father takes them on a small boat to an island in the middle of the lake. Ivan becomes increasingly anxious in the presence of the intimidating patriarch, as he and his brother struggle with the unanswered questions of who their father really is, where he has been all these years and why he has brought them to this remote and uninhabited place...

The rugged beauty of the northern lakes and forests adds an ominous dimension to the unfolding human drama. Finally violence and tragedy strike.

An impressive and assured debut from first-time feature film director, Andrey Zvyagintsev, THE RETURN on DVD also includes a moving 'making of' featurette dedicated to the memory of Garin (the older son, Andrey) who died shortly after the completion of the film.

DVD EXTRAS

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Widescreen 16x9)
Sound Quality: Stereo & 5.1 Dolby
Subtitles: English for the hearing impaired

Features:
Making Of Featurette
Photo Gallery
Trailer