access>CINEMA is releasing the epic drama The Return in Irish cinemas from April 11th 2025.
Director Uberto Pasolini’s new film is a fresh take on Homer’s The Odyssey, starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche.
The Return the story of the mythical Greek hero, Odysseus (Fiennes) who, after 20 years away, washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognisable. The king has returned from the Trojan War, but much has changed in his kingdom. His beloved wife Penelope (Binoche) is a prisoner in her own home, hounded by suitors vying to be king and planning the death of Telemachus, the son he never knew.
Shattered by his experience of war, Odysseus must rediscover his strength in order to win back all that he has lost.
You can find listings and ticket links for Irish screenings of the film below.
Screenings
Irish Film Institute, Dublin – from April 11th – tickets
Eye Cinema, Galway – from April 11th – tickets
Arc Cinema, Cork – from April 18th – tickets
Triskel Arts Centre, Cork – from April 27th – tickets
Reviews
“★★★★ The Return is an elementally violent movie about PTSD, survivor guilt, abandonment, Freudian dysfunction and ruined masculinity.”
– Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“Uberto Pasolini’s minimalist adaptation of the gory closing chapters of Homer’s epic poem eschews witches, monsters and goddesses in favour of PTSD.”
“The Return offers us a moody, sun-baked brand of mythos that bears its eternal fable on the shoulders of titanic acting ability.”
– Hilary White, The Sunday Independent
“Binoche and Fiennes bring some raw, fleshy humanity to this mythic text.”
“There’s something quite free and pure about this adaptation, with an unblinking, era-specific treatment of the male form.”
– David Jenkins, Little White Lies
