The Return (2024) Movie Script
1
[WAVES CRASHING]
[BIRD SQUAWKING]
[PIGLET SQUEALS]
[GOATS BLEATING]
[CHICKENS CLUCKING]
[DOG BARKS DISTANTLY]
-Hey, Eumeas.
-What?
They want more of those,
more small ones.
If you eat
all the young ones now,
what's going to be left
for next year?
POLYBUS:
We'll be gone next year.
The queen will have chosen
a new king.
You can starve on your own.
MAN 1: Oh, look who's here.
MAN 2: Look, it's the prince.
MAN 3: The master is here!
MAN 4: Our master!
MAN 5:
Come and join us, prince!
Our prince.
Have you found your father?
-Telemachus.
-Give them what they want.
Boy, tell your mother
that shroud she's weaving
will be for her son.
If she keeps us
waiting much longer,
I'll wrap
your body in it myself.
You still think
she'd marry you?
[SIGHS]
What do you think
she does at night?
[LAUGHTER]
She wants what
every woman wants.
She would not shame herself.
MEN: Oh!
I'll cut your throat,
you little bastard.
ANTINOUS: Leave him!
Wait!
Why don't you tell her
to choose me?
I'll get rid of them all.
Get the island working again.
I'll treat you fairly.
You think
you're better than them?
Poor boy.
Don't you know that
if it wasn't for me,
you'd be dead long ago.
I might change my mind.
[BOWL CLANGING]
Why don't you choose?
Why doesn't she?
This island is dying.
Marry one of them.
Anyone! Then the rest will go.
Your mother will never
marry another man.
She will never stain
the honor of this island
and the name of your father.
My father is dead!
We can't live
with those savages anymore.
Which one?
Which savage
shall I give you for a father?
There must be one you prefer.
I will choose when I finish
your grandfather's shroud.
[TELEMACHUS SIGHS]
You've been weaving
for months.
And what good will it do him?
[MAN GROANING]
PISANDER:
Here to marry the queen?
ELATUS: I think
there's enough of us already.
No one would survive
that weather.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[GROWLING]
[GROANS AND MOANS]
EUMEAS: Leave him! Leave him!
[DOG BARKING]
Stay.
What about his face?
It will heal.
[GROANING]
[COUGHING]
[WOMAN LAUGHING]
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
Will you eat?
Where... Where am I?
You don't know?
The island of Ithaca.
Take me. Help me.
Outside.
Eat this.
[PIGS SNORTING]
Eumeas.
Why take in a stranger?
Risk their anger?
Because they haven't
turned us into animals yet.
[PIG SQUEALING]
Market?
There's no market anymore.
Anything with four legs
goes to the palace.
Your king is greedy.
There is no king.
He sailed to Troy years ago.
Took the best men with him.
None of them came back.
Who do you serve now?
The Queen Penelope
and her son.
No man at her side?
[EXHALES]
All year they've been
turning up from miles around,
waiting for her to choose.
Has she?
She's strong.
Keeps them waiting
for her husband to return.
We all have a place
in the world
to uphold.
Eat that.
I want to take you back
to the palace, Grandfather.
Palace?
Yes. Mother is there alone
with those men.
The ones who scared you.
Stones.
They are...
so beautiful.
So should I?
Should I go and try
to find my father?
Find if he's dead.
I need to know.
I could sail
to the mainland tomorrow.
The fishermen would take me.
Father?
You lost your father?
Hmm. Poor boy.
Hey! Pig man!
-PISANDER: Where's the girl?
-I don't know.
Where's she hiding?
I don't know.
She can't have gone far.
[GRUNTS]
PISANDER: If it's not
the girl, it's you.
[CHOKES]
I've come a long way.
I'm not going back without.
PISANDER:
I will not get the queen.
But I'll get what I can.
I'll take.
I'll leave my scar
on this island.
PHILETIUS: So they sailed,
princes and kings
from the smallest islands
to the greatest cities
to honor the promise made.
Ten long years
the heroes fought
and covered their names
in glory.
Ten long years but neither
side could claim victory.
Then out of
the forests of Asia,
by the mighty walls of Troy,
Odysseus built
the great horse.
They say it was just a tower
to get them over the wall.
A tower?
Where did you hear that?
MAN: People love stories.
We'd burned all the forests
to keep the winters away.
Epeius built it with the wood
from the ships of our dead.
You were there?
You saw Troy burn?
Yes.
PHILETIUS:
Our King Odysseus was there.
The smartest
of all the heroes.
It's because of him we won.
Isn't that true?
Tell them.
Heroes.
Odysseus was...
He thought.
A trick.
Something to get the army
through the gates.
Some scheme.
Get in.
Shut the gates behind us.
Locked in with them.
Butcher them in the streets.
How tall was he?
Not tall.
Go on.
He got himself up as a beggar.
Rags.
Crawled into the city
at night.
Counted the soldiers.
Listened to the rumors.
Saw the pain.
The market was empty.
People...
People wanted food, clothes...
peace.
The whole city wanted.
The stones wanted.
PHILETIUS:
But the treasures...
And then on the second day
he saw Helen.
The beggars were
supposed to keep in line.
But he stepped out.
Held out his hand.
She looked straight at him.
Put a coin in his hand.
Her escort were mounted.
And that's when
he thought of it.
The wooden horse.
A great wooden horse.
They'll open the gates
and drag it inside.
And in the morning,
it will vomit soldiers.
The city will be dead.
We took our revenge
for all the years away
from home.
For all our dead.
The cold. The hunger.
PHILETIUS: And Troy was ours.
But the city could
never be won,
only destroyed.
We burned it
to the ground and then we
drowned the flames in blood.
They say that
every war will be like it,
till time runs out.
The dead from Troy,
their ghosts
will come and watch.
And my king?
PHILETIUS:
Sailors say he is near.
HIPPOTAS: Where?
If he isn't dead, why doesn't
he come back and take his own?
Doesn't he care
what happens to his people?
He's turned this island
into a grave.
-He brought glory to our land.
-[CHUCKLES] Glory?
You think that's what
feeds our widows?
Wouldn't they rather
their men back?
Ask my mother.
Well, have faith.
He will return
and slaughter those bastards
and the island
will live again.
Even if he swum
all the way from Troy,
he would have been back
years ago.
No.
He is at the bottom
of the sea.
And maybe it's better
for him that way.
Is the father still alive?
The old king?
Yes.
But mad with grief.
And the boy?
EUMEAS: He's not a boy.
He's a man now.
Little runt. Coward.
EUMEAS: Cowards run.
What can he do on his own?
-Would you help him?
-That's not my job.
Would he die for me?
What does he do?
Hide behind
his mother's skirts?
What are you doing here?
Where have you been?
Where have you been?
Why do you ask?
Are you quarrelling again?
Look at her.
She's afraid. Ashamed.
You know
what they say about you.
Whore.
[GOAT BLEATING]
Where is my son?
Your son?
Why?
Have you lost him?
Where is he?
Telemachus is a grown man.
If he is not in his bed,
perhaps he has found
comfort elsewhere.
We don't all like
to sleep alone.
Please leave.
Don't you see?
The more you keep him
under your skirts,
the more he hates you.
If I let him out of my sight,
they'll kill him.
If you had chosen,
he would be safe.
You will find him for me.
Your son has deserted you.
Your husband is dead.
You are alone. You need me.
You will find him
and bring him back to me.
Yes...
my queen.
We agreed
you'd keep watch on the boy.
He must have gone
to the mainland for news.
The grandfather will know.
He might come back with help.
He might not come back at all.
[CHUCKLES]
These are dangerous waters
this time of year.
Killing the son
won't win you the mother.
Careful now.
There was no talk
of killing here.
[INSECTS TRILLING]
[GRUNTS]
-Get away!
-[WOMAN GROANS]
-Where's the Prince gone?
-No!
Is he coming back?
No.
The old one asks to see you.
You've found my son?
The old king is dead.
I'm leaving.
All the decent men are going.
Only the scoundrels
will be left.
And they're just here
for your wealth.
How did he die?
Old men die.
You need protection,
just as your son
needs a father.
I'm not young
like some of the others.
I'm not famous
like your husband.
If he were alive,
I would respect him...
just as I respect his widow.
I am Odysseus's wife.
Odysseus is dead.
Not to me.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
There'll be a funeral at dawn.
The old king.
He waited
for his son to return.
Then he gave up hope.
And now he's dead.
Will the family bury him?
The queen will bury him alone.
The son is gone.
That's what our lives
have become.
When I die,
they won't even bury me.
They'll leave me for the dogs.
Now you can choose.
POLYBUS: If you don't choose,
you'll be carried here
in a year.
-I will choose soon.
-PISANDER: When?
POLYBUS: When?
LEODES: When?
Now!
When I've finished the cloth.
She's lying again.
She said that
she was weaving his shroud.
It's too late. He's dead.
The shroud will be
my wedding cloak.
Let me mourn
the old king in peace.
Then I will choose.
There will be no more waiting.
Take me to the palace.
They won't let you in.
They'll think you're another
one hoping to marry her.
Even the tramps
are turning up now.
Take me.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[LAUGHTER]
The master's hunting dog.
Stays there, watching for him.
All these years.
Argos.
[ARGOS WHIMPERING]
[WHIMPERS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[DOG BARKING]
A soldier could kill them now.
[LAUGHING]
They wouldn't even know.
LEOCRITUS: Stick with me.
Things will change.
Spare some food for a soldier
who fought at Troy?
Amazing. Another veteran.
A tramp!
[LAUGHTER]
Throw him out.
CTESIPPUS:
Everyone fought at Troy!
MAN: Yes! Everyone.
Some of them
before they were born. Huh.
Here, old soldier.
Let him be! Here, old man.
MAN 2: Enough! Stop it!
PISANDER: Talk to the queen.
Tell her you knew her husband.
ELATUS: She'll screw you
harder than the Trojans did.
PISANDER: Hey, beggar.
Come here.
See him?
That's Antinous.
He's desperate
to get the queen.
He doesn't even want
her wealth. He wants her.
Go and annoy him.
He'll pay you to go away.
[ELATUS CHUCKLES]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]
Something for an old soldier?
Take your rags out
with the other beggars.
You sit
at another man's table,
eat another man's food,
refuse a poor man
a scrap of meat.
Someone rid us of this beggar.
[DOG BARKING]
Here.
I'll show you the way out.
EURYMACHUS: Wait, wait.
We could do
with some entertainment.
Can he fight?
Thank you. I'll go.
Don't go.
You say you were at Troy.
Show us how to fight.
Some of them need a lesson.
-MAN: Come on then.
-Let's see him fight.
-MAN 2: Sit on him!
-[LAUGHTER]
-MAN 3: Go on then.
-Go on.
MAN 4: Come on!
EURYMACHUS: Come on.
[CHEERING]
[CROWD EXCLAIMS]
Is that enough?
[ALL CHEERING]
Get up!
-[DOOR OPENS]
-[CROWD CHEERING]
What is that noise?
Fighting.
A stranger this time.
He might know of Telemachus.
No. He's a tramp.
Don't go there.
He's just another one
who says he was at Troy.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Stop this.
They've had their fun.
[CROWD LAUGHING]
MAN: Hit him!
[GROANS]
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]
Stop it!
[GROANS]
[CROWD GASP]
[DOG BARKING]
Someone clean this up.
You fight well for a beggar.
If you're looking
for someone to serve,
I'm always looking for slaves.
[MAN LAUGHING]
EUMEAS: You should be pleased.
He won't need killing again.
Killing a man to amuse thugs?
EUMEAS: He had his chances.
You can't be blamed.
The war, you should forget it.
It was years ago.
A long way off.
It's everywhere.
It's everything
we see and touch.
A cup, the war, a table.
The war. Everything.
Waiting for me to
make it happen again.
What are you
going to tell the queen?
Don't lie to her.
She's suffered enough.
[WIND BLOWING]
[GRUNTS]
Look at him.
That's what happens
to the great warriors.
Get out!
Out with the other beggars.
You can't stay here.
PENELOPE: Leave him.
I want to talk to him.
Come nearer the light.
Closer.
Let me see you.
My nurse tells me
you were at Troy. Is it true?
Yes.
You fought with my husband?
Yes.
Then you remember him well.
It was a long time ago.
Where have you been
since you left Troy?
Traveling. Drifting.
Did you hear of my husband
in your travels?
He must be dead.
The man who left
would never have stayed away.
From his son.
His wife.
His people.
Perhaps he's afraid.
Why should he be?
Perhaps...
Perhaps he is lost.
Lost?
Lost?
How can men find a war
but not find their way home?
For some, war becomes home.
Why do men go to war?
Why do they burn
other people's houses?
Why do they rape?
Why do they murder
women and children?
Aren't they happy
with their own family?
Did my husband rape?
Did he murder
women and children?
This land is ruined.
I sacrificed it.
For him.
My son hates me.
He wants me to marry.
Should I marry? Tell me?
Put an end to it?
Tell me.
Has all this waiting been
for nothing?
[CLAPS]
-[DOOR OPENS]
-Tend to this man
then send him away.
[GRUNTING]
[SOBBING]
Are you scared
of an old nurse?
I washed men
when they were little...
and when they
brought them in dead.
I can wash a tramp.
That scar...
I washed it when it was made.
You came in from the hunt.
Shh.
My boy.
My boy, my boy, you're back!
-No.
-My king.
-No. No.
-I must tell her.
-I must tell her!
-No!
Ow!
[MUFFLED SCREAMING]
Not a word. Do you swear?
Swear.
Not a word.
Yes.
I understand.
We mustn't tell her.
She's not strong like us.
My boy is back.
Now...
you can kill them all.
Father.
We didn't know.
The dead are the lucky ones.
You survive...
but there's
nothing left inside.
All those I left behind.
I can't even see their faces.
I will never be forgiven.
-[BIRDS CHIRPING]
-[GOATS BLEATING]
A boat!
A boat!
-The prince is back!
-MAN 1: What?
MAN 2: The prince?
MAN 3: The prince is back?
A gang of them was waiting
for us at the northern point.
But our fishermen fooled them,
took the southern route,
against the wind
and left them there,
like stranded fish
gasping on the rocks.
Don't you understand?
They are even
more dangerous now.
You must hide.
What about you?
They won't hurt me.
They need me alive...
at least until I choose.
-And I will not...
-You must forget him.
Think of yourself.
A faithful wife.
Or a deceitful whore.
I have no other choice.
I cannot live another life.
I will send them away.
And I will make this island
our home again.
Mother, he won't return.
I met a sailor
who'd seen him on his travels.
He's been living on an island.
With a woman.
He's been there for years.
I'm sorry, Mother.
I didn't want to tell you.
I'm sorry.
Go to Eumeas.
And what will you do?
[DOOR OPENS]
[SCOFFS]
I thought you were married
to your dead husband.
It seems you are married
to your son.
Go.
If I can't be his father,
that's your fault.
But I will be your husband.
And you'll love me.
You will love again.
If you choose someone else,
I'll kill him.
EUMEAS: Leaving us?
Running away?
Do you think I'm a fool?
I know who you are.
All these years
we've waited...
And you run away?
I'm a slave.
If I were free,
I'd fight for what was mine.
I'd fight for my people.
What will the people say
when they see
I have returned alone?
That I led all their men
to their deaths?
They will hate you for it.
So die to protect them.
Your war isn't at Troy now.
It's here.
My prince.
They said you'd run away.
But you're back, safe.
TELEMACHUS: Until they come
after me again.
I'll get the others.
Any wise counsel
from the queen?
That woman is making
a fool of you. And of us all.
And now the son, too.
I have a proposal for you.
A hunting party.
EURYMACHUS: If you don't talk,
[GRUNTS]
your families will starve.
They might as well die
with you!
Tell us where!
[MUFFLED SCREAMING]
-Where did the prince go?
-LEODES: Where?
Where is he?
Tell me where he is!
[DOGS BARKING]
Young man. Hiding. Where?
ANTINOUS: Pisander!
[BOTH GRUNT]
PISANDER: Come on.
So who are you?
Nobody.
Did you tell my mother
you were at Troy?
If you were there,
you saw my father.
You must have.
What was he like?
A soldier.
Like any other.
Were you one of his men?
Did you leave with him
when it was over?
Deserted, didn't you?
Sold your weapons for a whore.
Isn't that what my father did?
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
-Run.
-What?
-Run! Hide yourself.
-Don't speak to me like that.
[BOTH GRUNTING]
-Stop!
-Stay down!
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
[ALL GRUNTING]
[STABS]
What happened?
Who are you?
Your father.
EUMEAS: You must run!
[YELLS] No!
Telemachus! Telemachus!
-Telemachus!
-[DOG BARKING]
[TELEMACHUS YELLING]
TELEMACHUS: Let me go!
You'll both be killed!
Telemachus!
They're coming to kill you!
EUMEAS: Go! Get to the water!
-Come on!
-Go.
I'll hide the bodies.
Keep them off track.
Where is he?
Eumeas?
He's in the hills
with the boars.
Where is the boy?
I haven't seen him. I swear.
[HIPPOTAS GASPS]
[DOGS BARKING]
Go on.
Yes. Come on!
[GRUNTS]
Come on.
[DOGS BARKING]
Good boy. Good boy.
LEODES: They lost it.
They could be anywhere.
PISANDER: Oh, fucking place.
LEODES: Let's get back.
I'm hungry. Come on.
Come on. Good boy.
ELATUS: We should have
killed him long ago.
A hunting party.
[CLACKING]
Time to start talking.
He's not my father.
Odysseus would have
chased that scum
out of the palace by now.
Aren't you your father's
steward when he's away?
Look at this island.
A wasteland.
Gangs of thugs
terrifying the people.
The barns are empty.
Houses broken into at night.
The old king
left to die alone.
Wouldn't you be ashamed
to look your father
in the face if he came back?
I know the people
of this island by name.
I know how they've suffered
without their king.
And what happened to his men?
He would have died
rather than return alone.
You know who I am.
Tell him.
I know who you were.
[DOGS BARKING IN DISTANCE]
Close the gate.
Undoing at night
what you weave in the day.
You thought you were keeping
your husband alive with this?
Weaving stories.
How long?
I'll give you the time.
Not a day more.
Then you'll marry me.
I won't tell the others.
They won't be
so understanding.
-And my son?
-Your son?
Why should I care
about your son?
I wish I'd never met you.
I want to leave this island,
but I can't.
I'll die here
one way or another.
[WINGS FLUTTERING]
-[PANTING]
-What happened?
The queen has decided.
She's going to choose
one of them today.
ODYSSEUS: Wait.
Wait!
It's too late to come back.
You can only hurt us.
Go back to your other woman.
If you go to the palace now,
they'll kill you.
My mother is going to marry.
Today!
One of those pigs.
And what will you do
about that?
Nothing.
She's wasted her life
waiting for you.
I hope they kill you.
[METAL HAMMERING]
POLYBUS: What are they for?
ANTINOUS: I don't know.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]
MAN: Look who's here.
Uh...
Not now.
Later.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Your waiting is over.
It has been
difficult to choose
from men of such
diverse qualities.
Hey, you. Throw him out.
He's bad luck.
MAN 1: It's that beggar again.
MAN 2: Throw him out.
MAN 3: Who let him back in?
MAN 4: Throw him out.
MAN 5: Out!
MAN 6: Throw him out.
Leave him!
He's my guest.
In my house.
-[LAUGHTER]
-MAN: In your house?
PENELOPE: In fact,
I cannot choose.
The choice will be
in your hands.
This bow
was a childhood gift
to my husband.
He was able to make
an arrow fly through 12 axes
without touching
any one of them.
The one amongst you
who can string the bow
and shoot the arrow
through the axes,
that man will be my husband
and king of Ithaca.
MAN 1: But it's impossible!
MAN 2: Enough!
Circus tricks!
Why marry someone
because he can do that?
What if nobody can do it?
PENELOPE: Odysseus could.
Would my new husband
choose to be a lesser man?
AGELAUS: I'll try.
[LAUGHTER]
Go on.
[LAUGHTER]
Come on! Come on!
-Come on!
-[MEN EXCLAIMING]
You're stringing it
the wrong way.
-MAN 1: Go on!
-[STRAINING]
MAN 2: A bit more.
MAN 3: He can't do it.
MAN 4: Let's see it.
-[STRAINING]
-Come on!
-[YELLS]
-Come on!
Let's see it.
Come on!
[GRUNTS]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
What are you waiting for,
Antinous?
Too scared to try?
[BOW THUDS]
This is another trick.
She planned it this way.
We will not be
her fools anymore.
MEN: Yes!
ANTINOUS: That bow
hasn't been used for years.
Even Odysseus
couldn't bend it.
Yes!
It can't be done!
MAN: That's right!
-Shame on you!
-Lies!
Tricks!
Lies!
MAN 2: We won't be
her fools anymore.
MAN 3: That's right.
MAN 4: It's impossible!
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]
MAN 5: Lying bitch!
I will do it then!
[LAUGHTER]
He wants to fuck his mother!
[LAUGHTER]
EURYMACHUS: I want to see him
fuck his mother!
MAN: All right!
Give it a go then!
MAN 2: Go on then!
MAN 3: Give him the bow.
ANTINOUS:
Enough of this farce.
We've wasted too much time.
-The men will choose.
-MAN 4: Yes!
Right.
MAN 5: Yeah. Forget the bow!
ODYSSEUS:
If the gentlemen are finished,
I thought I might try.
It's not every day
you get the chance
to try the bow of Odysseus.
My queen.
Can the bow
make a man of a beggar?
Get back to your place.
What does the queen think?
Give the man the bow.
[INDISTINCT MURMURING]
Give your father the bow.
[SNIFFS]
Look at the old soldier.
Is this what you wanted?
ELATUS: Well done,
old soldier.
Now leave, before you come
to regret your skill.
Yes, take your luck elsewhere.
Old man, put down the bow.
[MEN GASPING]
-LEODES: He's gone mad.
-Rush him!
Go! Now!
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]
-[GASPS]
-TELEMACHUS: Go! Go!
MAN: Get down!
You! Out!
Out!
Go! Shut the door!
ARISTRATOS:
We have to rush him together!
[GRUNTS]
[CRYING]
He's mad.
He thinks he can kill us all.
-He'll pick us off one by one.
-POLYBUS: Stranger...
Lower your bow.
If you are Odysseus,
no-one can blame you
for your anger.
We have been reckless
in your home and land.
But one man drove us.
Antinous!
-Yes! Yes! It was him!
-It was all his fault.
EURYNOMOUS:
He wanted to kill Telemachus.
EURYDAMUS: It was him! Not us!
It was him!
Odysseus,
you know I've been...
LEODES: He's out of arrows.
Father!
[YELLING]
[SOBBING] Kill me now.
Please.
[STABS]
[DOOR OPENS]
ANTINOUS: My queen.
Is this the love you wanted?
If she had been mine,
I never would have left her.
It could have been
so different.
[EXHALES]
PENELOPE: No!
Don't.
-[YELLS]
-No!
[BODY THUDS]
Why the tears?
Your husband is back.
Your son is saved.
That is not my son.
A slaughterhouse.
After all these years,
holding on to peace.
That was no peace.
There was no other way.
Queen.
Your son wishes
to speak with you.
Telemachus, don't.
Mother...
I need to go.
Go to her.
PENELOPE:
You have lost us our son.
When he finds out who he is,
he will return.
So wise.
How can you bear
to see him go?
So much blood.
Yes.
So many years.
Why?
Would you still love
the man I had become?
I couldn't return.
Forgive me.
Forgive me.
This is not our bed.
[YELLS]
When did you seal it?
When you left me.
There is so much
I do not know.
You do not want to know.
I need to understand.
You cannot understand.
I cannot understand.
We will.
Your past will be my past.
And mine, yours.
Better to forget.
We will remember.
And we will forget together.
And then we'll live.
And we'll grow old.
Friends, again.
Together.
[WAVES CRASHING]
[BIRD SQUAWKING]
[PIGLET SQUEALS]
[GOATS BLEATING]
[CHICKENS CLUCKING]
[DOG BARKS DISTANTLY]
-Hey, Eumeas.
-What?
They want more of those,
more small ones.
If you eat
all the young ones now,
what's going to be left
for next year?
POLYBUS:
We'll be gone next year.
The queen will have chosen
a new king.
You can starve on your own.
MAN 1: Oh, look who's here.
MAN 2: Look, it's the prince.
MAN 3: The master is here!
MAN 4: Our master!
MAN 5:
Come and join us, prince!
Our prince.
Have you found your father?
-Telemachus.
-Give them what they want.
Boy, tell your mother
that shroud she's weaving
will be for her son.
If she keeps us
waiting much longer,
I'll wrap
your body in it myself.
You still think
she'd marry you?
[SIGHS]
What do you think
she does at night?
[LAUGHTER]
She wants what
every woman wants.
She would not shame herself.
MEN: Oh!
I'll cut your throat,
you little bastard.
ANTINOUS: Leave him!
Wait!
Why don't you tell her
to choose me?
I'll get rid of them all.
Get the island working again.
I'll treat you fairly.
You think
you're better than them?
Poor boy.
Don't you know that
if it wasn't for me,
you'd be dead long ago.
I might change my mind.
[BOWL CLANGING]
Why don't you choose?
Why doesn't she?
This island is dying.
Marry one of them.
Anyone! Then the rest will go.
Your mother will never
marry another man.
She will never stain
the honor of this island
and the name of your father.
My father is dead!
We can't live
with those savages anymore.
Which one?
Which savage
shall I give you for a father?
There must be one you prefer.
I will choose when I finish
your grandfather's shroud.
[TELEMACHUS SIGHS]
You've been weaving
for months.
And what good will it do him?
[MAN GROANING]
PISANDER:
Here to marry the queen?
ELATUS: I think
there's enough of us already.
No one would survive
that weather.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[GROWLING]
[GROANS AND MOANS]
EUMEAS: Leave him! Leave him!
[DOG BARKING]
Stay.
What about his face?
It will heal.
[GROANING]
[COUGHING]
[WOMAN LAUGHING]
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
Will you eat?
Where... Where am I?
You don't know?
The island of Ithaca.
Take me. Help me.
Outside.
Eat this.
[PIGS SNORTING]
Eumeas.
Why take in a stranger?
Risk their anger?
Because they haven't
turned us into animals yet.
[PIG SQUEALING]
Market?
There's no market anymore.
Anything with four legs
goes to the palace.
Your king is greedy.
There is no king.
He sailed to Troy years ago.
Took the best men with him.
None of them came back.
Who do you serve now?
The Queen Penelope
and her son.
No man at her side?
[EXHALES]
All year they've been
turning up from miles around,
waiting for her to choose.
Has she?
She's strong.
Keeps them waiting
for her husband to return.
We all have a place
in the world
to uphold.
Eat that.
I want to take you back
to the palace, Grandfather.
Palace?
Yes. Mother is there alone
with those men.
The ones who scared you.
Stones.
They are...
so beautiful.
So should I?
Should I go and try
to find my father?
Find if he's dead.
I need to know.
I could sail
to the mainland tomorrow.
The fishermen would take me.
Father?
You lost your father?
Hmm. Poor boy.
Hey! Pig man!
-PISANDER: Where's the girl?
-I don't know.
Where's she hiding?
I don't know.
She can't have gone far.
[GRUNTS]
PISANDER: If it's not
the girl, it's you.
[CHOKES]
I've come a long way.
I'm not going back without.
PISANDER:
I will not get the queen.
But I'll get what I can.
I'll take.
I'll leave my scar
on this island.
PHILETIUS: So they sailed,
princes and kings
from the smallest islands
to the greatest cities
to honor the promise made.
Ten long years
the heroes fought
and covered their names
in glory.
Ten long years but neither
side could claim victory.
Then out of
the forests of Asia,
by the mighty walls of Troy,
Odysseus built
the great horse.
They say it was just a tower
to get them over the wall.
A tower?
Where did you hear that?
MAN: People love stories.
We'd burned all the forests
to keep the winters away.
Epeius built it with the wood
from the ships of our dead.
You were there?
You saw Troy burn?
Yes.
PHILETIUS:
Our King Odysseus was there.
The smartest
of all the heroes.
It's because of him we won.
Isn't that true?
Tell them.
Heroes.
Odysseus was...
He thought.
A trick.
Something to get the army
through the gates.
Some scheme.
Get in.
Shut the gates behind us.
Locked in with them.
Butcher them in the streets.
How tall was he?
Not tall.
Go on.
He got himself up as a beggar.
Rags.
Crawled into the city
at night.
Counted the soldiers.
Listened to the rumors.
Saw the pain.
The market was empty.
People...
People wanted food, clothes...
peace.
The whole city wanted.
The stones wanted.
PHILETIUS:
But the treasures...
And then on the second day
he saw Helen.
The beggars were
supposed to keep in line.
But he stepped out.
Held out his hand.
She looked straight at him.
Put a coin in his hand.
Her escort were mounted.
And that's when
he thought of it.
The wooden horse.
A great wooden horse.
They'll open the gates
and drag it inside.
And in the morning,
it will vomit soldiers.
The city will be dead.
We took our revenge
for all the years away
from home.
For all our dead.
The cold. The hunger.
PHILETIUS: And Troy was ours.
But the city could
never be won,
only destroyed.
We burned it
to the ground and then we
drowned the flames in blood.
They say that
every war will be like it,
till time runs out.
The dead from Troy,
their ghosts
will come and watch.
And my king?
PHILETIUS:
Sailors say he is near.
HIPPOTAS: Where?
If he isn't dead, why doesn't
he come back and take his own?
Doesn't he care
what happens to his people?
He's turned this island
into a grave.
-He brought glory to our land.
-[CHUCKLES] Glory?
You think that's what
feeds our widows?
Wouldn't they rather
their men back?
Ask my mother.
Well, have faith.
He will return
and slaughter those bastards
and the island
will live again.
Even if he swum
all the way from Troy,
he would have been back
years ago.
No.
He is at the bottom
of the sea.
And maybe it's better
for him that way.
Is the father still alive?
The old king?
Yes.
But mad with grief.
And the boy?
EUMEAS: He's not a boy.
He's a man now.
Little runt. Coward.
EUMEAS: Cowards run.
What can he do on his own?
-Would you help him?
-That's not my job.
Would he die for me?
What does he do?
Hide behind
his mother's skirts?
What are you doing here?
Where have you been?
Where have you been?
Why do you ask?
Are you quarrelling again?
Look at her.
She's afraid. Ashamed.
You know
what they say about you.
Whore.
[GOAT BLEATING]
Where is my son?
Your son?
Why?
Have you lost him?
Where is he?
Telemachus is a grown man.
If he is not in his bed,
perhaps he has found
comfort elsewhere.
We don't all like
to sleep alone.
Please leave.
Don't you see?
The more you keep him
under your skirts,
the more he hates you.
If I let him out of my sight,
they'll kill him.
If you had chosen,
he would be safe.
You will find him for me.
Your son has deserted you.
Your husband is dead.
You are alone. You need me.
You will find him
and bring him back to me.
Yes...
my queen.
We agreed
you'd keep watch on the boy.
He must have gone
to the mainland for news.
The grandfather will know.
He might come back with help.
He might not come back at all.
[CHUCKLES]
These are dangerous waters
this time of year.
Killing the son
won't win you the mother.
Careful now.
There was no talk
of killing here.
[INSECTS TRILLING]
[GRUNTS]
-Get away!
-[WOMAN GROANS]
-Where's the Prince gone?
-No!
Is he coming back?
No.
The old one asks to see you.
You've found my son?
The old king is dead.
I'm leaving.
All the decent men are going.
Only the scoundrels
will be left.
And they're just here
for your wealth.
How did he die?
Old men die.
You need protection,
just as your son
needs a father.
I'm not young
like some of the others.
I'm not famous
like your husband.
If he were alive,
I would respect him...
just as I respect his widow.
I am Odysseus's wife.
Odysseus is dead.
Not to me.
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
There'll be a funeral at dawn.
The old king.
He waited
for his son to return.
Then he gave up hope.
And now he's dead.
Will the family bury him?
The queen will bury him alone.
The son is gone.
That's what our lives
have become.
When I die,
they won't even bury me.
They'll leave me for the dogs.
Now you can choose.
POLYBUS: If you don't choose,
you'll be carried here
in a year.
-I will choose soon.
-PISANDER: When?
POLYBUS: When?
LEODES: When?
Now!
When I've finished the cloth.
She's lying again.
She said that
she was weaving his shroud.
It's too late. He's dead.
The shroud will be
my wedding cloak.
Let me mourn
the old king in peace.
Then I will choose.
There will be no more waiting.
Take me to the palace.
They won't let you in.
They'll think you're another
one hoping to marry her.
Even the tramps
are turning up now.
Take me.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[LAUGHTER]
The master's hunting dog.
Stays there, watching for him.
All these years.
Argos.
[ARGOS WHIMPERING]
[WHIMPERS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[DOG BARKING]
A soldier could kill them now.
[LAUGHING]
They wouldn't even know.
LEOCRITUS: Stick with me.
Things will change.
Spare some food for a soldier
who fought at Troy?
Amazing. Another veteran.
A tramp!
[LAUGHTER]
Throw him out.
CTESIPPUS:
Everyone fought at Troy!
MAN: Yes! Everyone.
Some of them
before they were born. Huh.
Here, old soldier.
Let him be! Here, old man.
MAN 2: Enough! Stop it!
PISANDER: Talk to the queen.
Tell her you knew her husband.
ELATUS: She'll screw you
harder than the Trojans did.
PISANDER: Hey, beggar.
Come here.
See him?
That's Antinous.
He's desperate
to get the queen.
He doesn't even want
her wealth. He wants her.
Go and annoy him.
He'll pay you to go away.
[ELATUS CHUCKLES]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]
Something for an old soldier?
Take your rags out
with the other beggars.
You sit
at another man's table,
eat another man's food,
refuse a poor man
a scrap of meat.
Someone rid us of this beggar.
[DOG BARKING]
Here.
I'll show you the way out.
EURYMACHUS: Wait, wait.
We could do
with some entertainment.
Can he fight?
Thank you. I'll go.
Don't go.
You say you were at Troy.
Show us how to fight.
Some of them need a lesson.
-MAN: Come on then.
-Let's see him fight.
-MAN 2: Sit on him!
-[LAUGHTER]
-MAN 3: Go on then.
-Go on.
MAN 4: Come on!
EURYMACHUS: Come on.
[CHEERING]
[CROWD EXCLAIMS]
Is that enough?
[ALL CHEERING]
Get up!
-[DOOR OPENS]
-[CROWD CHEERING]
What is that noise?
Fighting.
A stranger this time.
He might know of Telemachus.
No. He's a tramp.
Don't go there.
He's just another one
who says he was at Troy.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Stop this.
They've had their fun.
[CROWD LAUGHING]
MAN: Hit him!
[GROANS]
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]
Stop it!
[GROANS]
[CROWD GASP]
[DOG BARKING]
Someone clean this up.
You fight well for a beggar.
If you're looking
for someone to serve,
I'm always looking for slaves.
[MAN LAUGHING]
EUMEAS: You should be pleased.
He won't need killing again.
Killing a man to amuse thugs?
EUMEAS: He had his chances.
You can't be blamed.
The war, you should forget it.
It was years ago.
A long way off.
It's everywhere.
It's everything
we see and touch.
A cup, the war, a table.
The war. Everything.
Waiting for me to
make it happen again.
What are you
going to tell the queen?
Don't lie to her.
She's suffered enough.
[WIND BLOWING]
[GRUNTS]
Look at him.
That's what happens
to the great warriors.
Get out!
Out with the other beggars.
You can't stay here.
PENELOPE: Leave him.
I want to talk to him.
Come nearer the light.
Closer.
Let me see you.
My nurse tells me
you were at Troy. Is it true?
Yes.
You fought with my husband?
Yes.
Then you remember him well.
It was a long time ago.
Where have you been
since you left Troy?
Traveling. Drifting.
Did you hear of my husband
in your travels?
He must be dead.
The man who left
would never have stayed away.
From his son.
His wife.
His people.
Perhaps he's afraid.
Why should he be?
Perhaps...
Perhaps he is lost.
Lost?
Lost?
How can men find a war
but not find their way home?
For some, war becomes home.
Why do men go to war?
Why do they burn
other people's houses?
Why do they rape?
Why do they murder
women and children?
Aren't they happy
with their own family?
Did my husband rape?
Did he murder
women and children?
This land is ruined.
I sacrificed it.
For him.
My son hates me.
He wants me to marry.
Should I marry? Tell me?
Put an end to it?
Tell me.
Has all this waiting been
for nothing?
[CLAPS]
-[DOOR OPENS]
-Tend to this man
then send him away.
[GRUNTING]
[SOBBING]
Are you scared
of an old nurse?
I washed men
when they were little...
and when they
brought them in dead.
I can wash a tramp.
That scar...
I washed it when it was made.
You came in from the hunt.
Shh.
My boy.
My boy, my boy, you're back!
-No.
-My king.
-No. No.
-I must tell her.
-I must tell her!
-No!
Ow!
[MUFFLED SCREAMING]
Not a word. Do you swear?
Swear.
Not a word.
Yes.
I understand.
We mustn't tell her.
She's not strong like us.
My boy is back.
Now...
you can kill them all.
Father.
We didn't know.
The dead are the lucky ones.
You survive...
but there's
nothing left inside.
All those I left behind.
I can't even see their faces.
I will never be forgiven.
-[BIRDS CHIRPING]
-[GOATS BLEATING]
A boat!
A boat!
-The prince is back!
-MAN 1: What?
MAN 2: The prince?
MAN 3: The prince is back?
A gang of them was waiting
for us at the northern point.
But our fishermen fooled them,
took the southern route,
against the wind
and left them there,
like stranded fish
gasping on the rocks.
Don't you understand?
They are even
more dangerous now.
You must hide.
What about you?
They won't hurt me.
They need me alive...
at least until I choose.
-And I will not...
-You must forget him.
Think of yourself.
A faithful wife.
Or a deceitful whore.
I have no other choice.
I cannot live another life.
I will send them away.
And I will make this island
our home again.
Mother, he won't return.
I met a sailor
who'd seen him on his travels.
He's been living on an island.
With a woman.
He's been there for years.
I'm sorry, Mother.
I didn't want to tell you.
I'm sorry.
Go to Eumeas.
And what will you do?
[DOOR OPENS]
[SCOFFS]
I thought you were married
to your dead husband.
It seems you are married
to your son.
Go.
If I can't be his father,
that's your fault.
But I will be your husband.
And you'll love me.
You will love again.
If you choose someone else,
I'll kill him.
EUMEAS: Leaving us?
Running away?
Do you think I'm a fool?
I know who you are.
All these years
we've waited...
And you run away?
I'm a slave.
If I were free,
I'd fight for what was mine.
I'd fight for my people.
What will the people say
when they see
I have returned alone?
That I led all their men
to their deaths?
They will hate you for it.
So die to protect them.
Your war isn't at Troy now.
It's here.
My prince.
They said you'd run away.
But you're back, safe.
TELEMACHUS: Until they come
after me again.
I'll get the others.
Any wise counsel
from the queen?
That woman is making
a fool of you. And of us all.
And now the son, too.
I have a proposal for you.
A hunting party.
EURYMACHUS: If you don't talk,
[GRUNTS]
your families will starve.
They might as well die
with you!
Tell us where!
[MUFFLED SCREAMING]
-Where did the prince go?
-LEODES: Where?
Where is he?
Tell me where he is!
[DOGS BARKING]
Young man. Hiding. Where?
ANTINOUS: Pisander!
[BOTH GRUNT]
PISANDER: Come on.
So who are you?
Nobody.
Did you tell my mother
you were at Troy?
If you were there,
you saw my father.
You must have.
What was he like?
A soldier.
Like any other.
Were you one of his men?
Did you leave with him
when it was over?
Deserted, didn't you?
Sold your weapons for a whore.
Isn't that what my father did?
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
-Run.
-What?
-Run! Hide yourself.
-Don't speak to me like that.
[BOTH GRUNTING]
-Stop!
-Stay down!
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
[ALL GRUNTING]
[STABS]
What happened?
Who are you?
Your father.
EUMEAS: You must run!
[YELLS] No!
Telemachus! Telemachus!
-Telemachus!
-[DOG BARKING]
[TELEMACHUS YELLING]
TELEMACHUS: Let me go!
You'll both be killed!
Telemachus!
They're coming to kill you!
EUMEAS: Go! Get to the water!
-Come on!
-Go.
I'll hide the bodies.
Keep them off track.
Where is he?
Eumeas?
He's in the hills
with the boars.
Where is the boy?
I haven't seen him. I swear.
[HIPPOTAS GASPS]
[DOGS BARKING]
Go on.
Yes. Come on!
[GRUNTS]
Come on.
[DOGS BARKING]
Good boy. Good boy.
LEODES: They lost it.
They could be anywhere.
PISANDER: Oh, fucking place.
LEODES: Let's get back.
I'm hungry. Come on.
Come on. Good boy.
ELATUS: We should have
killed him long ago.
A hunting party.
[CLACKING]
Time to start talking.
He's not my father.
Odysseus would have
chased that scum
out of the palace by now.
Aren't you your father's
steward when he's away?
Look at this island.
A wasteland.
Gangs of thugs
terrifying the people.
The barns are empty.
Houses broken into at night.
The old king
left to die alone.
Wouldn't you be ashamed
to look your father
in the face if he came back?
I know the people
of this island by name.
I know how they've suffered
without their king.
And what happened to his men?
He would have died
rather than return alone.
You know who I am.
Tell him.
I know who you were.
[DOGS BARKING IN DISTANCE]
Close the gate.
Undoing at night
what you weave in the day.
You thought you were keeping
your husband alive with this?
Weaving stories.
How long?
I'll give you the time.
Not a day more.
Then you'll marry me.
I won't tell the others.
They won't be
so understanding.
-And my son?
-Your son?
Why should I care
about your son?
I wish I'd never met you.
I want to leave this island,
but I can't.
I'll die here
one way or another.
[WINGS FLUTTERING]
-[PANTING]
-What happened?
The queen has decided.
She's going to choose
one of them today.
ODYSSEUS: Wait.
Wait!
It's too late to come back.
You can only hurt us.
Go back to your other woman.
If you go to the palace now,
they'll kill you.
My mother is going to marry.
Today!
One of those pigs.
And what will you do
about that?
Nothing.
She's wasted her life
waiting for you.
I hope they kill you.
[METAL HAMMERING]
POLYBUS: What are they for?
ANTINOUS: I don't know.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]
MAN: Look who's here.
Uh...
Not now.
Later.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Your waiting is over.
It has been
difficult to choose
from men of such
diverse qualities.
Hey, you. Throw him out.
He's bad luck.
MAN 1: It's that beggar again.
MAN 2: Throw him out.
MAN 3: Who let him back in?
MAN 4: Throw him out.
MAN 5: Out!
MAN 6: Throw him out.
Leave him!
He's my guest.
In my house.
-[LAUGHTER]
-MAN: In your house?
PENELOPE: In fact,
I cannot choose.
The choice will be
in your hands.
This bow
was a childhood gift
to my husband.
He was able to make
an arrow fly through 12 axes
without touching
any one of them.
The one amongst you
who can string the bow
and shoot the arrow
through the axes,
that man will be my husband
and king of Ithaca.
MAN 1: But it's impossible!
MAN 2: Enough!
Circus tricks!
Why marry someone
because he can do that?
What if nobody can do it?
PENELOPE: Odysseus could.
Would my new husband
choose to be a lesser man?
AGELAUS: I'll try.
[LAUGHTER]
Go on.
[LAUGHTER]
Come on! Come on!
-Come on!
-[MEN EXCLAIMING]
You're stringing it
the wrong way.
-MAN 1: Go on!
-[STRAINING]
MAN 2: A bit more.
MAN 3: He can't do it.
MAN 4: Let's see it.
-[STRAINING]
-Come on!
-[YELLS]
-Come on!
Let's see it.
Come on!
[GRUNTS]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
What are you waiting for,
Antinous?
Too scared to try?
[BOW THUDS]
This is another trick.
She planned it this way.
We will not be
her fools anymore.
MEN: Yes!
ANTINOUS: That bow
hasn't been used for years.
Even Odysseus
couldn't bend it.
Yes!
It can't be done!
MAN: That's right!
-Shame on you!
-Lies!
Tricks!
Lies!
MAN 2: We won't be
her fools anymore.
MAN 3: That's right.
MAN 4: It's impossible!
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]
MAN 5: Lying bitch!
I will do it then!
[LAUGHTER]
He wants to fuck his mother!
[LAUGHTER]
EURYMACHUS: I want to see him
fuck his mother!
MAN: All right!
Give it a go then!
MAN 2: Go on then!
MAN 3: Give him the bow.
ANTINOUS:
Enough of this farce.
We've wasted too much time.
-The men will choose.
-MAN 4: Yes!
Right.
MAN 5: Yeah. Forget the bow!
ODYSSEUS:
If the gentlemen are finished,
I thought I might try.
It's not every day
you get the chance
to try the bow of Odysseus.
My queen.
Can the bow
make a man of a beggar?
Get back to your place.
What does the queen think?
Give the man the bow.
[INDISTINCT MURMURING]
Give your father the bow.
[SNIFFS]
Look at the old soldier.
Is this what you wanted?
ELATUS: Well done,
old soldier.
Now leave, before you come
to regret your skill.
Yes, take your luck elsewhere.
Old man, put down the bow.
[MEN GASPING]
-LEODES: He's gone mad.
-Rush him!
Go! Now!
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]
-[GASPS]
-TELEMACHUS: Go! Go!
MAN: Get down!
You! Out!
Out!
Go! Shut the door!
ARISTRATOS:
We have to rush him together!
[GRUNTS]
[CRYING]
He's mad.
He thinks he can kill us all.
-He'll pick us off one by one.
-POLYBUS: Stranger...
Lower your bow.
If you are Odysseus,
no-one can blame you
for your anger.
We have been reckless
in your home and land.
But one man drove us.
Antinous!
-Yes! Yes! It was him!
-It was all his fault.
EURYNOMOUS:
He wanted to kill Telemachus.
EURYDAMUS: It was him! Not us!
It was him!
Odysseus,
you know I've been...
LEODES: He's out of arrows.
Father!
[YELLING]
[SOBBING] Kill me now.
Please.
[STABS]
[DOOR OPENS]
ANTINOUS: My queen.
Is this the love you wanted?
If she had been mine,
I never would have left her.
It could have been
so different.
[EXHALES]
PENELOPE: No!
Don't.
-[YELLS]
-No!
[BODY THUDS]
Why the tears?
Your husband is back.
Your son is saved.
That is not my son.
A slaughterhouse.
After all these years,
holding on to peace.
That was no peace.
There was no other way.
Queen.
Your son wishes
to speak with you.
Telemachus, don't.
Mother...
I need to go.
Go to her.
PENELOPE:
You have lost us our son.
When he finds out who he is,
he will return.
So wise.
How can you bear
to see him go?
So much blood.
Yes.
So many years.
Why?
Would you still love
the man I had become?
I couldn't return.
Forgive me.
Forgive me.
This is not our bed.
[YELLS]
When did you seal it?
When you left me.
There is so much
I do not know.
You do not want to know.
I need to understand.
You cannot understand.
I cannot understand.
We will.
Your past will be my past.
And mine, yours.
Better to forget.
We will remember.
And we will forget together.
And then we'll live.
And we'll grow old.
Friends, again.
Together.