The Return (2024) soundtrack: A definitive guide to every song in the movie

The Return was premiered on December 6, 2024, in U.S. theaters through Bleecker Street. Directed by Uberto Pasolini, the film stars Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, and Charlie Plummer, among others.

The Return is a contemporary adaptation of Homer's ancient epic, The Odyssey, reimagined to resonate with modern audiences. The movie debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival, garnering significant attention for its performances and narrative.

Rachel Portman is the composer of the soundtrack for The Return. The official soundtrack, which Sony Classical digitally released on December 6, 2024, includes original music that contributes to the emotional and dramatic depth of the film. Portman's compositions are accessible on all significant digital music platforms.

The collaboration between Pasolini and Portman ensures that the soundtrack is seamlessly integrated into the film. Here is a definitive guide to every song in the movie.

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Soundtracks from The Return

The Return features an original soundtrack composed by Rachel Portman, consisting of 18 tracks that mirror the film’s intense narrative.

1. The Return (2:40)
2. Penelope at Night (1:45)
3. Troy (1:34)
4. Telemachus Sails (1:12)
5. Ithaca (2:52)
6. Take Me to the Palace (1:44)
7. Funeral (1:23)
8. Argo (1:34)
9. Penelope Attacks the Cloth (2:25)
10. Two Pools of Blood (1:32)
11. The Hunt (2:40)
12. Torches Returning (1:36)
13. The Axes (2:03)
14. Stringing the Bow (3:28)
15. Odysseus Shoots (1:33)
16. Slaughter (2:20)
17. I Need to Go (1:33)
18. Forgive Me (3:59)

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Plot of the movie

Arriving on the coast of Ithaca twenty years after the Trojan War, King Odysseus is followed in The Return. Haunted by his past, he discovers his son Telemachus is under threat from their aspirations, and his wife Penelope is besieged by suitors fighting for the kingdom.

Penelope keeps weaving the burial shroud for her father-in-law, using it to postpone selecting a suitor. The suitors harass Telemachus, seeing him as a barrier to their dreams.

Odysseus, now disguised as an old war soldier, seeks refuge and begins to plot his return. As he reconnects with his loyal swineherd Eumaeus, he prepares to confront the suitors.

As Odysseus shows his identity by stringing his bow, the suspense rises, and he methodically kills the suitors in a fierce battle. The last confrontation in the movie between Odysseus and his son, Telemachus emphasizes themes of atonement and the fight to take back one's proper position.

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All about the composer, Rachel Portman

Born on December 11, 1960, Rachel Mary Berkeley Portman is a well-known British composer whose 1996 Academy Award for Best Original Score for the film Emma made history as the first female composer.

She received two nominations for her works on Chocolat (2000) and The Cider House Rules (1999). In 2010, Portman was awarded the Order of the British Empire and became an honorary member of Worcester College, Oxford.

She has composed over one hundred scores for film, television, and theater, including an opera based on The Little Prince and a choral symphony titled The Water Diviner while working on significant projects with the BBC. Portman started her career penning songs for BBC and Channel 4 dramas, including Four Days in July and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit.

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Cast and characters

Here is the major cast list from the movie The Return:

• Ralph Fiennes as Odysseus
• Juliette Binoche as Penelope
• Charlie Plummer as Telemachus
• Tom Rhys Harries as Pisander
• Marwan Kenzari as Antinous
• Claudio Santamaria as Eumaeus
• Ayman Al Aboud as Indius
• Amir Wilson as Philoetius
• Francesco Bianchi as Amphimedon
• Nicolas Retrivi as Elenus
• Bruno Cassandra as Promachus
• Cosimo Desii as Eurydamus
• Ángela Molina as Eurycleia
• Stefano Santomauro as Thoas

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Stay tuned for more news and updates on this movie and similar projects as 2024 progresses.