The Return [HD]

THE RETURN DELIVERS THE GOODS
THE RETURN is a supernatural chiller, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, that is surprisingly effective!! The film opens at night with a little girl and her father (Sam Shepard) at a carnvial, where he quickly loses her and she hides from a mysterious menacing ponytailed man who calls her "Sunshine". I've always found carnivals creepy at night, just a personal creep factor of mine.

Fastforward to the present. Joannna is an upwardly mobile adult in sales, constantly on the road and the fast track to success. She makes a business trip in another city and sees an old friend. While there, she has a series of strange visions and blacks out. Her friend finds her later, passed out on the bathroom floor with a large self-inflicted wound on her forearm.

While trying to make sense of this disturbing behavior and the visions, Joanna ends up in La Salle, Texas. In La Salle, she finds the same buildings and places that she has already seen in her visions, giving her an...

Moving film about second chances
I have read several reviews from different sites, claiming that this film was confusing. Why it is confusing to people completely eludes me, because the end of the film explains everything perfectly. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The film starts at an amusement park. A father (Sam Shepherd) and his daughter Joanna have just been in a car accident. Almost immediately, the girl begins acting strangely, seeing a mysterious man who isn't there. All he wants to do is talk to her. This may seem bizarre at first, but it gives you the first clue to an unfolding story about a woman running from her past.

As an adult, Joanna (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a salesperson. She likes her job because it keeps her ahead of whatever evil seems to be chasing her. Even though she has sworn off territory in Texas, she changes her mind. This trip brings her into contact with an old friend and her father. The longer she remains in Texas, the more her strange "visions" or dreams take...

Korean feel gives The Return an edge
The Return is an effectively suspenseful psychological thriller and not the standard type of horror movie that the trailer implies. It has the feel of Korean cinema with small-town overtones, which add to the overall vibe. Many reviews have complained that there are'nt any jump scares and the story evolves slowly, but that makes the uneasiness all the more effective. Please don't let the misleading trailer cloud your judgement. Immerse yourself in the story and you'll appreciate this film. The cast do a great job, especially Sarah Michelle Gellar who, as always gives a believability to the character of Joanna and creates a vulnerable person that can be easily empathised with. A movie that should be seen more than once and that, in time, will be given the accolades that it deserves

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