There's a quality to this film that brought “The Mission” (1986) to mind, as it simply portrays the basic existence of the people on Ithaca many years after their King Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) joined Agamemnon’s forces in the Trojan War. His wife, Queen Penelope (Juliette Binoche), has been trying to raise their rather shy son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) while dealing with numerous suitors who believe her husband is dead and are attempting to marry their way onto the throne. When a man appears on the beach after a severe storm, he’s taken in by a kind pig farmer who helps him recover and informs him about what's happening in this now lawless and largely impoverished kingdom. It becomes apparent to the viewer who this man is, and the rest of the story shows the struggles of someone wrestling with internal conflicts. He certainly wants to reclaim what was once his, but he’s also questioning whether or not he should, or even if it's possible, given the scheming Antinous (Marwan Kenzari), who is rather blatantly using the safety of her son as a way to secure his own position. If you are hoping for a sword and sandals adventure, or anything like what Ray Harryhausen animated, this isn’t it. It’s a much more intense, personal story about a man coming to terms with the effects of time and war. There's almost no sword fighting, no beasts to battle, or women tempting him from the rocks; in fact, the entire narrative is contained within the concluding portion of Homer’s epic, focusing solely on the island. It should also be noted that Zeus, Apollo, and their Olympian family are absent from this account. The story is presented straightforwardly, stripped down, from the perspective of a character who Fiennes portrays adequately, though I felt his style was overly theatrical. His restrained approach combined with a real lack of dialogue and Uberto Pasolini’s almost slow direction can create an experience that feels like it's unfolding in near-real time, depicting an exhausted man, an exhausted population, and an equally exhausted wife. On the last point, Binoche has very little to say throughout, and while she looks the part, I didn’t think she was given enough substance to truly make her mark on the story until the very end, when it briefly comes alive – again, in a way that feels confined to a stage. The cinematography and locations do much to lend authenticity to the tale, as does the entire production design, but considering this project took thirty years from initial concept to release, too much of its original clarity was lost in what was clearly a labor of love for Fiennes and Pasolini, and though it's perfectly acceptable to watch, it’s just missing that certain something.

Source on TMDB