The Return

Ivan and Andrei discover their father has returned after a 12-year absence. The brothers have formed a close attachment to compensate for their fatherless childhood. Their mother gives an uneasy blessing as they prepare for what they hope will be a simple fishing trip.

With their mother’s uneasy blessing, the brothers agree to join their father for a fishing vacation. They hope for bonding and a straightforward trip, but the father’s awkward attempts to reconnect reveal deeper tensions. The dynamic between the three begins to set the tone for the journey.

The trio leaves home by truck, moving from domestic space to open wilderness. The landscape shifts to rain-swept coastline as tension grows. Ivan grows wary, while Andrei clings to the idea of adventure and a life with their father.

They reach their mysterious island destination, where the father’s tests intensify. Ivan’s doubts about him deepen, and Andrei’s need for bonding grows stronger. The family’s fragile equilibrium begins to crumble under the island’s ominous quiet.

The father’s attempts to bond become controlling and harsh, pushing the brothers toward a breaking point. Ivan resists, arguing with him and testing his limits. Andrei watches, torn between loyalty and fear.

The brothers’ relationship is strained as Ivan’s skepticism clashes with Andrei’s longing for a father figure. The environment amplifies their conflict, and anger and fear begin to define their interactions. The trio teeters on the edge of a fracture.

In a heated moment, Ivan witnesses his father strike Andrei and storms off into the forest. He climbs to the top of an observatory tower to escape, while Andrei and the father chase after him. The tension reaches a dangerous peak.

The father tries to reach out to Ivan from the tower, but Ivan’s defiance grows. He threatens to jump, and in the ensuing struggle, the father loses his balance and falls to his death. The tragedy devastates the brothers in an instant.

Ivan and Andrei carry their father’s body through the forest and load it onto a boat. They begin rowing back toward where they came, trying to salvage something from the trip. The weight of what has happened settles over them as they move.

While unloading gear, the boat drifts away with the body aboard. They run after it, shouting in despair, but the river or sea carries the boat out. The father’s body remains unseen as the scene ends in a haunting pause.

The brothers drive away in their car, the trip ending without resolution. The emotional distance between them grows as they retreat from the coast, leaving the episode unresolved but defining their future. Their silence signals a changed bond and inherited trauma.

The film closes with photographs from their journey; there is no proof that the father was with them. Memory and evidence diverge, underscoring the distance between what happened and what can be shown. The brothers are left to carry the experience without official validation.