TEHRAN-The 2024 drama film “The Return” directed by Uberto Pasolini will be screened at the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) in Tehran on Thursday.

The Nasseri Hall of the IAF will show the movie, a joint production of Italy, the U.S., and the U.K., at 5 p.m. with Persian subtitle, ILNA reported.

Starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, the film is a retelling of the last sections of Homer's “Odyssey” as adapted by Edward Bond, John Collee, and Pasolini.

It premiered in the Gala section at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2024, and was theatrically released on December 6, 2024, in the United States.

After 20 years away, Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognizable. The King has returned from the Trojan War, but much has changed in his kingdom. His beloved wife Penelope (Juliette Binoche) is a prisoner in her own home, hounded by suitors vying to be king.

Their son Telemachus faces death at the hands of these suitors, who see him as merely an obstacle to their pursuit of the kingdom. Odysseus has also changed--scarred by his experience of the Trojan War, he is no longer the mighty warrior from years past--but he must rediscover his strength in order to win back all that he has lost.

The “Odyssey” is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. Like the “Iliad”, the “Odyssey” is divided into 24 books.

It follows the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his journey home after the Trojan War. After the war, which lasted ten years, his journey from Troy to Ithaca, via Africa and southern Europe, lasted for 10 additional years during which time he encountered many perils and all of his crewmates were killed. In his absence, Odysseus was assumed dead, and his wife Penelope and son Telemachus had to contend with a group of unruly suitors who were competing for Penelope's hand in marriage.

The “Odyssey” was originally composed in Homeric Greek in around the 8th or 7th century BC and, by the mid-6th century BC, had become part of the Greek literary canon.

Crucial themes in the poem include the ideas of nostos (return), wandering, xenia (guest-friendship), testing, and omens. Scholars still reflect on the narrative significance of certain groups in the poem, such as women and slaves, who have a more prominent role in the epic than in many other works of ancient literature. This focus is especially remarkable when contrasted with the Iliad, which centers on the exploits of soldiers and kings during the Trojan War.

The “Odyssey” is regarded as one of the most significant works of the Western canon. The first English translation of the “Odyssey” was in the 16th century. Adaptations and re-imaginings continue to be produced across a wide variety of media.

Uberto Pasolini, 67, is an Italian film producer, director, and former investment banker known for producing the 1997 film “The Full Monty” and directing and producing the 2008 film “Machan” and the 2013 film “Still Life”.

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