The Return, 2024,

Directed by Uberto Pasolini.
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Charlie Plummer, Marwan Kenzari, Claudio Santamaria, Ángela Molina, Amir Wilson, Jamie Andrew Cutler, Moe Bar-El, Amesh Edireweera, Jaz Hutchins, Aaron Cobham, Ayman Al Aboud, Nicolas Exequiel Retrivi Mora, Giorgio Antonini, Matthew T. Reynolds, Fabius De Vivo, Magaajyia Silberfeld, Handrinou Ileana, Kaiti Manolidaki, Francesco Dwight Bianchi, Pavlos Iordanopoulos, Roberto Serpi, Stefano Santomauro, Maxim Gallozzi, Karandish Hanie, and Cosimo Desii.

SYNOPSIS:

After 20 years away Odysseus decides to come back. The King has finally returned home but much has changed in his kingdom since he left to fight in the Trojan war.

The Return is certainly an accurate title. From director Uberto Pasolini, this is an intriguingly albeit sluggish character-driven story about Greek king Odysseus’s (Ralph Fiennes) return to Ithica following his disappearance during the Trojan War. Except as he washes up ashore looking like a dirty, bearded street beggar, it is gradually revealed that he doesn’t want to come home, feeling shame and regret over the ruthless and violent man he had to become to win that war, not to mention leading countless numbers of his men to death during the sacking of Troy, something that was made possible due to his creation of a gigantic wooden horse used for sneaking past the gates.

Having been absent for ten years, Odysseus’s wife Penelope (Juliette Binoche) still refuses to accept the likelihood of his death and re-marry to one of several suitors who have shown up incessantly vying for her hand. Their son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) has a more defeated attitude, convinced the father he never really got to know died, the peace they currently have is a façade, and his mom needs to choose one of these men soon.

These three talented performers are exceptionally tapping into the psychological toll these ten years of uncertainty and pain have taken on them. For as loyal and resilient as Penelope is, Juliette Binoche effectively conveys that somewhere inside, this woman is about to break and knows she should probably choose one of these slimy lowlifes. Anyone with knowledge of Greek mythology is also probably aware of the creative bow-and-arrow game she uses for one of them to prove their worth. It also marks the film’s transition into something more explosive, action-based, and focused on mythology. Furthermore, the longer Penelope holds out, the more hostile and threatening some of these men become toward Telemachus, even if just as many of them wisely point out that killing him won’t get them what they want.

Until then, The Return is mostly all about that return, walking in circles around the same plot points even if it is admirable that the filmmakers (courtesy of a screenplay by Uberto Pasolini, Edward Bond, and John Collee) are more fascinated by the human stories behind the stories of war and creatures of Greek mythology. Ralph Fiennes is similarly excellent as a man who can’t bear the thought of looking his wife in the eyes after everything he has done in war, wandering around in his lowly disguise. Naturally, he increasingly becomes agitated by his wife’s predicament.

When watching two long-lost lovers reach a breaking point, the slow-burn approach works. However, The Return also feels underwritten and sits there for far too long, alongside some weak supporting characters and competently basic direction; for a film about Greek mythology, it’s disappointing that there isn’t anything visually striking here aside from how jacked Ralph Fiennes got for a role that has one action sequence. That climax is intense and satisfactory (even if it is strangely bloodless for a portion), but the journey there is frustratingly paced with stagnant storytelling.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com

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This article contains spoilers for the series finale of “What We Do in the Shadows.”

Can vampires be funny? After six seasons of “What We Do in the Shadows,” the answer is a resounding yes.

Like the 2014 film by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement that it is based on, the series is a mockumentary that follows a group of vampire roommates, Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), Nadja of Antipaxos (Natasia Demetriou), Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak) and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), and their familiar Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén). The vampires here are much like the ones you’ve seen in movies and read about in books: they’re immortal, blood-sucking creatures who kill mercilessly. But the series, like the film, shows that vampires are also multidimensional — vulnerable, emotional, funny, absurd — and completely out of place in the modern world. “Shadows” was often at its best when we saw the characters trying to blend in and act like everyday citizens of Staten Island, N.Y.

But what differentiated the FX series from its source material was how it expanded the vampire universe and our understanding of it. Case in point: the creation of energy vampires like Colin Robinson, who feed on emotional energy instead of blood. It was the perfect analogy to our tech-driven, capitalist, corporate society where meetings, office small-talk and bureaucracy often feel like they can drain us of our life force.

Now, the show is coming to a close, and not just in our world. In the “Shadows” universe, Guillermo and the vampires are saying goodbye to the documentary camera crew that have followed them for the past six years. For the vampires, it’s just another day as immortal beings; we learn they’ve been through this before, having shot a documentary in the 1950s. But for Guillermo, it’s bittersweet; he’s trying to come to terms with the news, what it means and what’s next for him.

The other question it raises: How do you come up with a perfect ending for a show? Guillermo ponders this and the finale plays with it. We see the boom mics, cameras and operators emerge from behind the scenes and a clapperboard close the documentary, but a twist at the end of the episode opens the possibility for more — will Guillermo start a new life as a vigilante with Nandor or leave the vampires behind? We don’t know for certain, but for now, Times staff writer Tracy Brown and television editor Maira Garcia discuss the finale of the series, favorite moments and what made the comedy so special.

Maira Garcia: All good things must come to an end, to quote Nadja of Antipaxos, or was it Nelly Furtado who said that originally? In any case, we’ve come to the end of the road for “What We Do in the Shadows,” one of my favorite comedies of the past decade. Tracy, you’ve heard me wax on about this show and my love for Jackie Daytona and Matt Berry probably more than you ever wanted to hear, but its quirkiness, ongoing jokes and macabre humor were always my kind of humor.

Now that the finale has aired, I’m curious to hear what you thought of the episode and how it ties things up? We’ve seen the characters occasionally break the fourth wall by addressing the camera directly or acknowledging the documentary crew, but this was a wrecking ball.

Tracy Brown: I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I thought the episode was a very wild and fitting “Shadows” way to wrap things up. One of the things I’d asked showrunner Paul Simms before the season started was whether the finale was a period or more like a semicolon so I knew we were getting an episode more like the latter. Still, I wasn’t sure what to expect because series finales are tough — just look at all the best/worst lists that have been published. It was fun to see the show just skewer the whole idea of endings and closure and sticking the landing. Of course Guillermo got caught up in his feelings about the “documentary” coming to the end because it’s a very human thing to reflect on the crossing of milestones and to want the passage of time to mean something. And he experienced a lot of growth and change over the course of the show. But for the vampires, it’s just any other day. One of my favorite gags in the episode was the vampires revealing that this documentary (a.k.a. the show) wasn’t even the first time they’d let a film crew into their lives. The unreleased Maysles brothers film was great both thematically and as a way to revisit some favorite moments from the past.

How about you, Maira? What did you think of the episode? More importantly, how excited were you for Jackie Daytona’s return?

The vampires in a documentary — in 1958. (Russ Martin/FX)

Jackie Daytona from Tucson, Arizonia, has been around awhile. (Russ Martin/FX)

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Garcia: I was thrilled. Jackie’s been around town for awhile, as we learn. I think the nod to “The Usual Suspects” was another moment that had me in stitches (and don’t laugh, but it took me a minute to realize what I was watching — the movie came out in 1995! I can barely remember what I had for lunch.) I was curious how they would tie everything together, considering so much of this season has been about Guillermo — played by Harvey Guillén, a brilliant actor who I hope we see more of soon — beginning to let go of the roommates/coven that he’s been with for so long. First, he decides he no longer wants to be a vampire, and he gets a corporate job in finance, but that ends up not working out either, as we see in the penultimate episode. In some ways, he still seems to be finding his way, but it’s true, he’s grown so much. He went from a meek, subservient familiar to realizing he has Van Helsing blood, and has the ability to lay waste to vampires (which he does, to Laszlo, Nadja, Colin and Nandor’s benefit), to the infinitely more confident person he is now. His arc, including when he came out to his family in Season 4, was handled with care and it showed that you can be sensitive and kind, but also a no-holds-barred vampire killer when you need to be.

Nandor (Kayvan Novak) and Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) in one of the final scenes from the finale of “What We Do in the Shadows.”

(Russ Martin/FX)

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Brown: Guillermo really was the beating heart of the show — literally! And I laughed when the Guide (Kristen Schaal) suggested turning Guillermo into a vampire for their perfect ending because it was a perfect nod to how most people probably expected the show to end before Season 5 happened. But I think for me that arc in particular really highlights what was special about this show. Guillermo standing up for himself to finally make his dreams come true on his own terms since his (toxic) boss had strung him along for years, only to realize the big life change wasn’t for him and that being OK. It was something very relatable wrapped up in the unabashedly silly vampire trappings of the show. “Shadows” was proudly a comedy through and through but it handled its deeper themes with care. Like the time in Season 3 when Nadja’s ghost felt so neglected that it jumped from her doll to possess various other things including a giant inflatable rat. A hilarious lesson on the importance of self care. But that levity and absurdity was really the show’s superpower at a time when a lot of the other buzzy comedy shows are making us cringe or cry.

Garcia: Absolutely. Sometimes I just need to laugh, and this show consistently delivered without being too heavy-handed. And each character was more than the face they put on; for example, Laszlo was a self-described lothario, but he was also the guy who became a father figure for Colin Robinson when he rebirthed himself, and he created the Monster, who he cares for like a son. Plus, we got a cameo this season from Steve Coogan, as Laszlo’s father Lord Roderick, which showed the complicated relationship between them, and again, showcases the depth of our vamps. Similarly with Nandor, who was once a great Ottoman warrior, we see that he is really just a big softie looking for love, romantic and platonic.

Tracy, you spent some time with the cast this year in the lead up to the final season. They seem like a group with a lot of chemistry from what we’ve seen on screen, and each has comedic chops that work well together. What did they say about the show coming to a close?

Brown: I got to talk to them right around the time that they would usually be heading to Toronto to film the next season, so they were all feeling a little nostalgic and mentioned how it was weird that they weren’t getting ready for more “Shadows.” The cast is really close so they shared how they had just been texting each other “I miss you” or even messages joking about their flight being delayed or making plans in Toronto as if they were about to go shoot another season. I’ll let you guess who was sending what. But the overall sentiment was love — for the show, for each other and for the fans. I think Natasia Demetriou said it best: “There wasn’t one season where I didn’t think at least 10 times a day, ‘I cannot believe this is my job. I cannot believe I get to do this.’ … I’m going to miss the show so much.” I’m going to miss it, too.

Garcia: That is genuinely heartwarming. I love it when a cast becomes real-life friends. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the many guest stars on this series, a who’s who of comedy appeared over the six seasons. We even saw OG “Shadows” vampires Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi and Jonny Brugh on the show. But it was the ongoing appearances of Haley Joel Osment as Topher and Benedict Wong as Wallace the necromancer that were among my favorites. Who were some of yours?

Matt Berry in the Season 5 episode “Pride Parade.” (Russ Martin/FX)

Vanessa Bayer and Mark Proksch in Season 5’s “The Campaign.” (Russ Martin/FX)

Brown: It’s tough to keep it to a short list but I’ll go with Vanessa Bayer as emotional vampire Evie Russell and, of course, Mark Hamill as Jim the Vampire. And Doug Jones as the Baron was my favorite recurring guest star. If we’re talking cameos, my absolute favorite moment was when Sofia Coppola, Phoenix’s Thomas Mars and Jim Jarmusch showed up as themselves in Nadja’s vampire nightclub. The vampire councils were great but I laugh at that scene every time. And since we’re reminiscing, I have to give a shout to Season 5’s “Pride Parade,” about the vampires helping Laszlo’s human buddy Sean appeal to the “LGBTQLMNOP community” to help his campaign, and Season 2’s “Ghosts,” which introduces Nadja’s human ghost that possesses her doll, as a couple of my favorite episodes. What about you?

Garcia: The Nadja nightclub storyline was so good, from start to finish. It’s so hard to pick. But since you mention Vanessa Bayer, that episode from Season 5 with the energy vampire council is a recent favorite. Evie and Colin’s meeting with them is the equivalent to the most painful Zoom meeting you’ve ever been on at work, where someone doesn’t know how to mute or notification pings keep interrupting the conversation or someone is trying to fix a tech problem as everyone else waits. It is breathtaking in its similarities and that feeling you get, like you just died inside a little. I’ve never seen anything capture that feeling so closely.

I think another favorite for me is the finale of Season 3, after Colin Robinson dies and it seems like everyone is going their separate ways, only for there to be a twist: Colin is alive. There’s also an earlier episode from Season 3, where Nandor joins a wellness cult, that’s great. From this final season, the ninth episode is a standout, where Guillermo’s cousin Miguel, played by Frankie Quiñones, arrives to help him battle other vampires, including barista vampires — ahem, I mean artists and writers. It demonstrates how intricate the vampiric world is on this show. Oh, and it’s hilarious.

As much as I wish this show would go on, ending on a high note is good, though I’ll miss hearing “You’re Dead” any time I started up a new episode.

Brown: At least Season 6 gave us the Matt Berry cover.