Odyssey: Returning Home | A Cinematic Short Film - Celebration of the Resilience of the Human Spirit

"Now I return not as the man who left, but as what remains. And still, he knows me. Not by my face, not by my voice, but by something time cannot break. Loyalty does not remember the years; it remembers the soul"

This is one of the lines from the start of Odyssey: Returning Home, a cinematic short film by Devendra Tak, presented on the Infinity of Space and Time YouTube channel. The film takes on the timeless story of Odysseus and his long journey home from the Trojan War. In this case, however, the same epic tale is not told only through its most dramatic and incredible moments. Instead, Tak, using the latest cutting-edge audio and video generating technology, tries to dive deep into the man that Odysseus was. Here, it takes a long and hard look into him and the motivations and regrets behind his decisions. 

Here, this presents the very essence of the question: what is to be human, to be a being that yearns to love and to be loved. The circumstances of this Greek hero might be drastic, but behind them is just a man, nothing more and nothing less. This is where the film truly shines - moments like Odysseus, now an old man, meeting his faithful dog and the lines from the top that come at that tearful reunion. 

Then, there is that flash of remembrance of him, not as the king of Ithaca, but as a father, teaching his son archery in a past that seems to him nothing more than a myth, or a tale of someone else who is no longer there. Yet, that love still beckons after so many decades and so many trials and tribulations. That love is still a beacon calling Odysseus to the only truly important place - home.

In these moments, the film explores not only the question of psychological identity, but also how the past, memory, hopes, and dreams all bind us into what we are. The grand cinematography that seems to always evolve and change also complements that notion perfectly. Yes, there are battles and raging seas, there are monsters and armed duels, but it is in the quiet contemplation that offers the most of what this short but very impactful film provides - through understanding this hero, we get the possibility to better understand ourselves. 

The film is set to premiere on Friday, 31 July 2026 and become available to all on the official Infinity of Space and Time YouTube channel. "The Long Way Home", the film's Original Soundtrack, is available now on all leading music platforms. If you enjoy works of art that explore the very essences of what it means to be human, watch Odyssey: Returning Home and set off onto a dream-like, impactful journey like few before it who took the challenge of reinterpreting Homer's timeless masterpiece.

Film Review: The Housemaid (2025)

Things truly have changed in the housemaid industry, as Merry Poppins would likely notice after watching The Housemaid. Back in the good old 19th century, there would have been a much smaller chance of the lord of the manor meeting their young, attractive maid watching TV in his man cave. But this is just one of the situations that takes place in this thriller. Like almost anything where Sidney Sweeney appears, her body is a big element of this film, further building on this myth that anything alive right now has to find her simply irresistible or repulsive.

In this case, Sweeney brings her universe-spanning sex appeal to a wealthy family where she, having a troubled past, arrives as a live-in housemaid. Immediately, the setup of "everyone has countless secrets and then some" starts playing out, along with Sweeney's dress-up and show-off process. But, even though the film at moments feels like some low-key comedy and in the next moment something like a misdirected soap, it's still entertaining. There's a lot of inspiration in it, including things like Misery and even a hint of subtle social criticism and a hands-on type of feminism. All of that is happening along with abundant Sidneyploitation.

In many ways, The Housemaid is like Sweeney herself. You might have different takes about her looks, acting abilities, talent, and even possible political alignment. But, chances are that despite those opinions, you're still looking to see what will happen next. This film, too, takes us on a journey, and if you accept its offer, you'll also, in all likelihood, stick out until the end.

Film Review: Mickey 17 (2025)

 

When Parasite came out in 2019, I wasn't as impressed as I was with  Memories of Murder, a film that blew me away nearly two decades ago. But it did show that the voice of Bong Joon Ho is an evolving artistic presence and, strangely enough, that his time in the global limelight is only starting out in earnest.

When great directors suddenly get massive budgets, the same money is often tied to a gentle chokehold of producers and studio executives. For Bong Joon Ho and his sci-fi satirical comedy, that chokehold was not an option. Instead of making something dumbed down, he made probably one of the better films of this type in many years. On some levels, this film, showcasing the life of a constantly dying and reprinted indentured worker, Mickey on a colonising mission, rivals Terry Gilliam's Brazil. It also shares many of the key points that it explores, but here, the exposition is about mass media spectacle as it is about inalienable human rights.

It's wonderful to see that Bong Joon Ho commanded such a massive budget and a cast including Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette, and a fantastic Mark Ruffalo, but still remained so very much his own man. Mickey 17 is resonant, touching, bizarre, grotesque, and funny, all at the same time. There's a massive lesson there for the likes of Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan. In other words, your talent and vision are important, but only if you are able to stick with them even when the stakes are very high. If not, you get to direct the new James Bond film or make the 100th version of Homer's Odysseus. I’m not seeing Bong Joon Ho move in any of those directions anytime soon.