The Return
(El regreso)
Hernán Jiménez | Drama, Fiction, Comedy
2012 | 92 minutes | Costa Rica
A delightful and life-changing journey back to Costa Rica. After living 10 years in New York, 30 year-old Antonio returns to San José where he is forced to deal with the realities he ran away from
Synopsis
The Return is the story of a delightful and life-changing journey back to Costa Rica. After living 10 years in New York, 30 year-old Antonio returns to San José where he is forced to deal with the realities he ran away from. He is welcomed by his intense sister, Amanda-whose husband recently abandoned her-and their young son Inti-who is apprehensive about Antonio’s presence. When things take an unexpected turn, Antonio is forced to remain home far longer than he had anticipated. Add in the comedy of Antonio finding out that his best friend is the lead singer of a death metal rock band and sprinkle in the rekindling of a childhood romance and you have the ingredients of a superb film.
Actor and director Hernán Jiménez not only wrote, directed, and stared in this, his second full-length film, but also financed it with the proceeds from his first feature, his stand up comedy act, and the most successful Kickstarter campaign in Latin America to date. Far from the image of Costa Rica promoted by the country’s Department of Tourism, The Return became the highest grossing Costa Rican film ever and the first to earn international recognition.
Reviews
“Hernán Jiménez beautifully illustrates a tale that many viewers can identify with-handling the annoyance we sometimes call our family and friends. El Regreso successfully teaches us that la familia is a deep part of who we ultimately become. No matter how far or long we try to run away from them, they are there to stay.” – Noella Wynter, NOCHE LATINA
“El Regreso, and all its actors, coalesced a Costa Rican voice and experience, a perspective of a middle-class family dealing with loss, insecurities and identity in multiple forms. The film tackles kinship ties and friendship with a brutal honesty, a raw display of intuitive triggers that were realer than life.” – José Luís Benavides, GOZAMOS
“Cinema created with heart and sensibility.” – William Venegas, LA NACION
“A great success.” – Mario Giacomelli, CANAL 7
“The Return is cinema forces us to ask questions.” – Roxana Reyes, SEMANARIO UNIVERSIDAD
“The Return is a solid and very well narrated story.” – Iván Trujillo, GUADALAJARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
“The students really enjoyed this movie. It had just the right balance of realism, comedy, and romance. Also, because the lead characters were relatively young, the students were able to relate more on a personal level to the film.” – Joe Terantino (Director), Foreign Language Resource Collection, Kennesaw State University
Citation
Main credits
Jiménez, Hernán (film director)
Jiménez, Hernán (actor)
Granda, Manuel (film producer)
Boxwill, Andre (actor)
Jiménez, Bárbara (actor)
Gómez, Luis Fernando (actor)
Montero, Montserrat (actor)
Ross Mix, Daniel (actor)
Other credits
Cinematography, Nicolás Wong; editor, Hernán Jiménez; music, Federico Miranda.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
Best Film, Best Art Direction, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, San José International Film Festival
Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Icaro International Film Festival, Guatemala
Best International Feature, HBO New York Latino International Film Festival
La Havana International Film Festival
Mar del Plata International Film Festival
Santo Domingo International Film Showcase
DIRECTOR: Hernán Jiménez
NATIONALITY: Costa Rica
YEAR: 2012
GENRE: Drama, Fiction, Comedy
LANGUAGE: Spanish
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adults
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
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