'The Return' - Asif Kapadia (2006)

 

?The Return? concerns Joanna (Gellar), a workaholic saleswoman living out of hotels, constantly moving towards the next town, the next sale. Her next sale brings her home to Texas, meeting an old friend and confronting her father (Sam Shepard) about a childhood trauma that has left her mental state in tatters ever since. Whilst at home, she starts to have visions of places she?s never been, events she didn?t see, and a murder that took place years ago. Drawn to mysterious stranger Terry (Peter O?Brien), who appears in one of the visions, she begins to piece together what happened- and how it all connects to her.

 

Yes, after the success of both ?The Grudge? and its sequel, it?s fair enough that the publicity people behind ?The Return? would want to draw similarities to the films. As the trailer is cleverly cut to look like ?The Grudge? (ghostly green hand, ?SMG? screaming), and the poster designed in a similar style, it should be a similar movie?right? Wrong! This is a different movie entirely, more supernatural thriller than all-out horror, this movie struggles under the weight of its comparisons.

 

Beginning as an interesting character movie, with Gellar playing driven-yet-fragile Joanna with an effort that forces you to take her seriously. However, the serious psychological elements and the ?jumpy horror? don?t make easy bedfellows, and the film soon becomes as confused as its protagonist. Once we get to an interesting point in the narrative, the whole thing stops so that Gellar can (a) look in a mirror, (b) wander round an old dilapidated house, or (c) drive in her massive truck.  All of which become obvious queues that something scary is coming, and by the end becomes quite tedious. The presence of stage icon Sam Shepard in a mere background role only pushes the feeling that this could have been so much more than it is.

 

If the horror element were taken out, this would be a passable, spooky tale, the likes that M. Night Shyalaman makes his fortune on, but given the worthy cast are pushed aside in order to throw in some whispers and tense music, this becomes a ho-hum thriller with horror aspirations. Ultimately, however, a missed opportunity.