The Return (2003)

As mentioned in class, The Return right away gave off an Andrei Tarkovsky vibe. Many instances in the film seem to draw various elements from his films such as The Mirror or Solaris. Natural elements (fire, wind water) are all captured in many ways throughout The Return. The scene at the beginning (waves rolling onto the shore), the coals burning in the house, moss on the trees in the forest, heavy rain and dripping water... all of these are manifested in the film similar to that in a Tarkovsky film. Although some of these scenes feel drawn out and long, there is a uniqueness to them that most films fail to show. 

I also noticed the extended use of silent shots, where the characters are mute and very little (or none at all) background noise exists. Although this can be seen in other films, there are many instances of this silence in this film. I think the silents really accentuates the drama in the film (for example when the '"father" falls off the watchtower)

Another scene that is most likely a direct copy is when the two brothers flip through a book in their attic. This scene is clearly a nod to Tarkovsky's The Mirror.

If I had to critique one thing, it would be the strict and secretive attitude of the father, and the fact that the motives of the father are never explained. It felt like a part of the movie was missing, and I kept waiting for an explanation or excuse until the very end (which left me with even more questions). I feel like there were good moments in the film, but there's a lot that was hard to enjoy.