A masterwork in allegory and symbolism, “The Return” is a boundlessly layered Jungian landmine of religious metaphor and political subtext, ominous mysticism elegantly sewn to a timeless tale simmering over with biblical implications. The most amazing aspect of this Russian film is its profoundly interpretive nature, proposing a story at its most elemental and infusing it with meaning so rich, yet so elusive, as to be read in an abundance of different ways. It is ambiguity administered at the highest level, matched by the lean minimalism of Zvyagintsev’s elegant compositions and the spooky unease felt throughout the austere scenery. Amongst fathers and sons, warlords and legions, gods and disciples, the children find themselves torn apart under the questionability of their supposed authority. The validity of religion, of faith, and what becomes of man’s future, are here all tried and tested, but never resolved.