An Odysseus traumatised by war can still speak truth to us today
When a film makes you think about the meanings of war and home, and the dangerous world we live in, it’s well worth watching with respect
Maybe I have watched too many Hollywood action movies and have forgotten how poignant a single dramatic scene can be when acted out by two seasoned thespians. But boy, I was floored by one from The Return, which is loosely based on Homer’s Odyssey.
Queen Penelope, played by the ever captivating Juliette Binoche, meets a dishevelled old beggar whom she vaguely senses may be her long-missing husband Odysseus, portrayed by the incomparable Ralph Fiennes.
Having waited for his return for 20 years – 10 years fighting in Troy and 10 years doing who knows what, she is suspicious, excited, anxious and angry – all at the same time.
Perplexed, she asks: “How can men find a war but not their way home? ... Did my husband rape? Did he murder women and children?”
Anguished by her questions and broken in body and soul, Odysseus hides himself in the shadows and replies: “Some wars become home.”
No, the dialogues are not from Homer. But, given the world we live in today, her questions are our questions.