THE ART OF RETURN

Synopsis:

After six years in New York, young actress Noemi returns home to Spain for an audition that has the potential to change her career. During her first 24 hours back in Madrid, Noemi will have a series of encounters and goodbyes that will teach her to appreciate the different seasons of life. 

Her granddad, who’s bedridden in a nursing home, encourages her to persevere with her dream to become a star, while he reminisces over the memories of his best years. At home, her little sister doesn’t exactly seem happy to see her. So much time apart has left its mark on her. The close relationship they once had is gone, leaving only confused feelings that neither of them are very adept at managing. With Carlos, an old classmate, things are different. It feels like no time has passed between them at all, although they’ve really missed each other, and they laugh and joke around like old times, as they take a stroll through a pine forest. Then there’s Ana, an artist friend whose latest exhibition Noemi will find both amazing and horrifying in equal measure. And finally, Radu, a Romanian driver who Noemi will realize she has much more in common with than either of them could ever have imagined.

All these encounters, although brief, will lead Noemi to rethink her past, her future and her place in the world.

Critics :

 “Collantes, as an excellent disciple of Eric Rohmer, has constructed a meticulous portrayal of a disoriented woman. He makes great use of daily scenes and fluid dialogues, [...] but he never emphasizes, underlines or shouts to the viewer, preferring to allow the confusion that troubles the protagonist, who returns home after a long time living abroad, to slowly take over the ambience of the film and seep inside the audience's consciousness.” Cineuropa

“Brilliant, precise, warm and paused. [...] Whether consciously, or less so, the film also talks about what is happening to all of us right now. During this time, we have been forced to search for the sense in almost everything and this movie shows us how to recover the significance of that which has lost all meaning”. El Mundo

“’'The Art of Return' offers a vivid and multifaceted portrait of a complex human being: a woman of many layers, an imperfect heroine who would be perfectly at home in the films of Jean-Luc Godard or John Cassavetes, an heiress to the characters immortalized by actresses such as Anna Karina and Gena Rowlands.” Fotogramas

“Pedro Collantes is one of the discoveries of this year's Venice Film Festival.” Cadena Ser

“An intimate and entertaining portrayal, true to the virtues of the seventh art.” ABC

“The Art of Return is an opera prima that moves the viewer with its simplicity and honesty.” El Español

“Debut director Pedro Collantes brings us a subtle and very personal approach to Eric Rohmer's universe and proves he is definitely one to watch out for in Spanish cinema.” Caiman

News:

Filmax Acquires Biennale College Film ‘The Art of Return’ (Exclusive)

Barcelona-based Filmax has acquired the world sales rights to “The Art of Return” – a Spanish production by first-time director Pedro Collantes nurtured through Venice’s renowned Biennale College film workshop initiative.The boutique distributor will also handle the Spanish distribution for... Read More

Pedro Collantes, Director of The Art of Return: "I wanted to depict this feeling of asynchrony"

Pedro Collantes (Madrid, 1980) rocked up at the Venice Film Festival to introduce the premiere of his feature debut, The Art of Return, selected for the latest edition of the Biennale College Cinema programme. Feeling both nervous and excited, the Madrilenian filmmaker fielded our questions a... Read More

'The Art of Return', directed by Pedro Collantes and starring Macarena Garcia, will have its Spanish Theatrical Release next December 11, 2020

“The Art of Return is an opera prima that moves the viewer with its simplicity and honesty.” Javier Zurro (EL ESPAÑOL)“Brilliant, precise, warm and unhurried, without feeling slow.” Luis Martinez (EL MUNDO)“Pedro Collantes is one of the discoveries of this... Read More

'The Art of Return', directed by Pedro Collantes, becomes a great success among critics and audience at the Sevilla Film Festival

“Collantes, as an excellent disciple of Eric Rohmer, has constructed a meticulous portrayal of a disoriented woman. He makes great use of daily scenes and fluid dialogues, [...] but he never emphasizes, underlines or shouts to the viewer, preferring to allow the... Read More

Filmax gets 16 nominations at the Feroz Awards 2021

The Feroz Awards are given every year by the Spanish Press Association (AICE - Asociación de Informadores Cinematográficos de España) to recognise the quality and endeavour of the latest national productions. The 2021 Edition nominees have been revealed today and the Awards ceremony... Read More