Fate and Youth

Will 2022-09-12 15:40:38

This is a Russian film, and it has all the feelings a good film can give me: hope in despair, tenderness in indifference, fate in coincidence.

The plot of "Return" is very simple: a father who has been away from home for 12 years suddenly returns home one day. The two boys in the family are full of strange and curious feelings towards their father who has not met for 12 years. This father does not have the enthusiasm and easy-going of American fathers. He is silent and harsh. He will take his two children to go fishing in a far away place as soon as they meet. How a boy becomes a man is full of conflict with his younger son, which culminates at the end of the journey. The younger son, despite his fear of heights, climbs a lighthouse and wants to jump off. The father climbs desperately He went up to save his own child, but at this time an unfortunate accident happened. The father fell heavily to the ground and could not open his eyes since then, and this time the younger son climbed down from the lighthouse by himself (at the beginning of the film). The younger son also climbed a high tower, but it not only climbed down, but was carried down by his mother), the two children looked at each other, and it took a lot of effort to drag the boat that the father made when he came up, The father was lying on the boat, as if they had seen him for the first time. The father was lying there peacefully, like a crucified Christ. The brothers still looked at each other, until after landing, the boat broke free from the rope and slowly left the shore. When they left, the brothers looked at their father who had passed away, and finally called their father heartbroken for the first and last time. . . . . .


Watching such a film is very touching to people's hearts, but when the little actor who played my brother in my paper film returned to the filming location a year later and escaped into the lake again, but accidentally drowned, I drowned. I can't help but scream, why is this?


Fate, yeah, remember such a young man, who died forever when he was 15, in a way of coming back, what more can I say? I'm an ignorant fool, I don't know anything, I don't understand anything, and no one can tell me, including that lighthouse, that lake, in the interweaving of time and space, I look so stupid, return, return to where? Is it the return of Russian cinema, the return of the Russian political system, or the return of human nature? I can't think of an answer, I just wish that 15-year-old boy rest in peace.


We can only say this to those people, and when we will be like them someday, will anyone say the same to us?

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Extended Reading

The Return quotes

  • [first lines]

    [on-screen caption: Sunday]

    [boy falls in the water, then floats up]

    Zavodila: Jump as we agreed! Who climbs down the ladder is a cowardly wanker.

    [swims to the shore]

    Boy on Tower: Go on, Vityok. You're next.

  • [last lines]

    Ivan: Look...

    [shows a photo to Andrey]

    Andrey: Hide it.

    [Ivan puts the photo back]

    Ivan: Andrey, my feet are wet.

    Andrey: Take your shoes off.