Netflix pick for 8/11/14 – ‘The Return’

From 2003, “The Return” is a Russian drama which is great because of how simple the movie is and how compelling the drama becomes throughout. Told with confident direction, devoid of overt stylistic flourishes or any sort of reliance on gimmicky cinematic tricks, the movie works because it is all in service of an interesting story, small in scale yet resonate with emotional depth.

In this story, two young brothers are surprised to find that their father has returned home after a 12-year absence, and the oldest of the two boys is suspicious of their father while the youngest is anxious to have him back in their lives. And when ole daddy-o decides to take both kids with him on a trip, with no explanation and without telling anyone a damned thing, the oldest kid’s suspicion only intensifies, as they try to gain as much insight as possible as to whom their father is and what he wants. And when dad decides he doesn’t like his son’s wary attitude? Oh boy.

“The Return” is a great little movie which can be seen right here on the Netflix Instant, so enjoy it, folks.