The innocence of boyhood is shattered at the conclusion of "The Return"; a theme echoed in countless films from the sentimental "Stand By Me" to the unsettling "Lord of the Flies," and most recently, Gabriele Salvatores’ jarring "I’m Not Scared."

The feature film directorial debut of Andrey Zvyagintsev, "The Return" is an engrossing drama about two young brothers and their reunion with a father they have not seen in twelve years. Reared in the female environment of their mother and grandmother, the boys are at first cautiously excited to accompany their taciturn father on a road trip to go fishing. With few words, the apprehension of both women is palpable. No explanation for this man’s absence is given, or any exposition regarding his mysterious phone calls along the road, or the buried metal box he retrieves. He is an enigma to his family as well as the audience. At the film’s troubling conclusion we are still left uninformed, forced to come to our own ideas about this quietly brooding individual whose barely-controlled temper seethes like a smoldering volcano.

Shades of Bergman seep into each scene as the personalities and inner conflicts within each boy and their parents emerge with minimal dialogue. A mere twitch of an eyebrow, a secretive smirk, a deadened glance—all are telling hints at the familial turmoil.

The performances of these young actors are extraordinary and the shifts in their sibling relationship as a result of their estranged father’s sudden appearance are compelling. Older Andrey, beginning his adolescence, is eager to please his "new" dad while Vanya, a suspicious youngster, who probably never felt the warmth of his father’s arms as an infant, is resentful and difficult. As the trip drags on, with the trio camping on an isolated island, tensions build. The boys’ disparate feelings about their father cause a rift between them that ultimately ends in shocking tragedy.

The father’s motives, though unclear, provide fascinating fodder for discussion. At times, he seems hell-bent on turning his "mommy-fied" sons into real men. He leaves them stranded in the rain and strange cities, forces them to row a long distance in stormy seas and doesn’t put up with any finicky appetites. For the most part, his character is troubled—probably on the lam—and he is making a last-ditch effort to be a father to his boys in the only way he knows¾ as a stern, unsmiling taskmaster. Reminiscent of the tough-love fathers of films such as "The Great Santini" and "The Run of the Country" that showed Robert Duvall and Albert Finney bullying their sons into obedience, "The Return" charts an uphill climb for a dad who has been away too long.

A film festival favorite and Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Film, "The Return" is a polished, unforgettable film that belies its director’s newcomer status. I eagerly await future films by Andrey Zvyagintsev.