Vozvrashcheniye [The Return] (2003)

How would you react if your beloved father, who left without an explanation 12 years ago, suddenly turned up one day -- still without an explanation? It's the range of reactions of one Russian family to this dilemma that forms the core tension of

Andrei Zvyagintsev's phenomenal film debut, The Return.

Young Ivan (Ivan Dobronravov) and his older brother, Alexey (Vladimir Garin), are typical siblings. They fight, they tease, but they also love each other. When their father suddenly shows up, the boys react in two distinct ways -- Alexey is eager to go back to the good way things were with Fahter (Konstantin Lavronenko), but Ivan doesn't trust him. A tense dinner leads to plans for a fishing trip, a chance to get to know Dad better and build up what has been torn down by his sudden disappearance.

That fishing trip consumes most of the film, and it becomes plain that Dad has something else going on incidental to the fishing trip. Ivan is resistant to his father's efforts to restore family order, while Alexey is eager to please. Father shows a tender and protective side toward his sons, but he is very demanding, a firm disciplinarian -- which rankles Ivan even more.

It is clear that fishing isn't the primary reason for this vacation. As we viewers wait with the boys in the car during one stop, Father speaks to men at a dock, where a strange duffel bag is exchanged along with terse words. What's in the bag? What's dad up to? These mysteries tie in to the mystery of who Father actually is, as well as what the boys are to make of all this.

And they do go fishing. In fact, the fishing portion of the trip reveals more about the boys and their Father than any knew before, leading up to the film's riveting conclusion.

For a first-time director, Zvyagintsev shows amazing confidence with his actors and the story, allowing it to unfold gradually, yet without a lapse in timing or tension. The cast is particularly strong, including the young actors, who carry much of the story's weight and do so with great skill.

Ultimately, this is a tremendous film about the mysteries between fathers and sons, and the legacy the secrets necessarily leave with us. Whether you consider The Return metaphorically or not, it has the power to provoke strong emotions solely by the strength of its story and performances. Highly recommended.