While I did not personally see the whole film but just the second half, I never found myself doubting the father's parenthood, and none of the pages I have taken a look at on Wikipedia insinuate otherwise, either: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_%282003_film%29
However, to play with the idea, I think the fact that he emotionally screamed "Ivan, my son!" just before he fell, is proof enough för him indeed being their father, as he at that very moment had lost all his emotional bounds, and it is known that a person that do so, generally also lose their ability to lie and hide the truth.
It is also questionable whether he had seen any reason at all to try to save the darn brat - that was after all the cause for much of the spiraling negativity, refusing to obay the fathers conditions, finally ending up with them in the high air - had Ivan just been a random kid that he had no relation to. Yet, the father cared very much trying to save Ivan.
In the end, I actually found it extremely difficult to fully sympathize with Ivan, and instead found myself rooting more for the father.
All in all, a terrible and depressing movie, but that is what is in fashion nowadays.
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