Nostos: The Return

Nostos: The Return
Film poster
Directed by	Franco Piavoli
Screenplay by	Franco Piavoli
Based on	the Odyssey by Homer
Produced by	Franco Piavoli Giannandrea Pecorelli [it]
Starring	Luigi Mezzanotte [it] Branca De Camargo
Cinematography	Franco Piavoli
Edited by	Franco Piavoli
Music by	Luca Tessadrelli [it] Giuseppe Mazzucca
Production companies	Zefiro Film Immagininazione
Distributed by	Mikado Film [it]
Release dates	6 August 1989 (1989-08-06) (Locarno Festival) 26 May 1990 (1990-05-26) (Italy)
Running time	87 minutes[1]
Country	Italy
Languages	fictional; inspired by ancient Greek, Sanskrit and Latin

Nostos: The Return (Italian: Nostos: Il ritorno) is a 1989 Italian adventure drama film directed by Franco Piavoli, starring Luigi Mezzanotte [it] and Branca De Camargo. Drawing from Homer's Odyssey, the film depicts Odysseus' homeward journey across the Mediterranean Sea following the Trojan War, and his struggles against natural obstacles and inner torments. The film relies on visual storytelling and the portrayal of nature; dialogue is minimal, without subtitles, and spoken in an imaginary Mediterranean language. Nostos: The Return explores themes of homecoming, the memory of war, time, and man's relationship with nature.

Piavoli began to make films in the 1950s, but Nostos: The Return was his first feature-length fiction film. Envisioning it as "symphonic" as opposed to "theatrical" cinema, Piavoli was in control of most of the creative process and a cast with little film experience. The processes of preparing, filming, and editing the project each took one year to complete.

Nostos: The Return premiered at the 1989 Locarno Festival and received a limited release in Italy in 1990. Reception has been largely positive, with critics describing the film's depiction of nature as beautiful. The story has been interpreted as a lyrical version of Homer's epic poem, as a simplified retelling, and as an original narrative.