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Parents' Guide to

The Return

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Buffy star is haunted by violent memories.

Movie PG-13 2006 85 minutes
The Return Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 2+

Based on 1 parent review

Freddy M.
Freddy M. Adult
December 18, 2022
age 2+
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Joanna Mills (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is troubled by violent visions she's had since she was a child. Her nightmares began when she and her dad (Sam Shepard) were in a car accident. Joanna's blurry nightmares are sometimes unreadable, but always violent. Trying to keep safe, she works as salesperson for a trucking company, always on the road or in hotel rooms. Restless, she says. "Sometimes, I think that if I keep moving forward, nothing bad will happen to me." Her intuition is both right and wrong. Ultimately, she goes to the location of one of her visions -- a small town bar in Texas. She finds a farmhouse where a murder occurred and has a few close encounters, one with her ex-boyfriend Kurt (Adam Scott), who apparently followed her (and then tries to rape her). Joanna's savior is predictably unlikely and gallant -- and brings his own baggage. Not only does Terry (Peter O'Brien) stop Kurt's assault, he also follows him into the street and beats him nearly senseless. Watching from her hotel room window, Joanna is intrigued.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Moody, impressionistic, and bleak, THE RETURN explores supernatural links between two women who never knew each other. Until the end, when it actually explains too much, the film maintains a certain mystery, only gradually revealing Joanna's horrible visions. Joanna is both spectator and agent in her own story. You'll figure out the secret long before she does, and its basis -- a woman killed by a rural cretin -- is pretty stale.

But Asif Kapadia's film is more like a tone poem than a horror movie, and, as such, it's gorgeous, full of unexpected images and choices, of color, and framing. Joanna's subjective journey doesn't end well, but the film doesn't shy away from the harrowing, lonely work of recovering from emotional trauma.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the nature of memories and how they affect us later in life. How could Joanna's father help her? Would it have helped if he'd talked to her (either as a child or as an adult)? How do Joanna's dreams engulf her life? How is her cutting herself a "cry for help"? How does the film suggest that she's providing some sort of "revenge" for the original murder victim? Is this revenge satisfying? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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