Let's Chat About The Odyssey

The Odyssey is an incredible read. I was gifted a copy of Emily Wilson’s translation so naturally, I had to be annoying and finish it before I saw the film (only 3 hours before mind you). The Odyssey is as fantastical as it is matter-of-fact. All of the flourish is reserved for the descriptions of the settings in which the Odyssey takes place. Conversely, characters are introduced lineage first and with little fanfare, save for the occasional “god-like”. The book strikes the perfect balance between the two. So I had to ask myself, “How the hell is Nolan going to pull this off?” Well, I’m happy to report he absolutely did… well mostly.

There is so much to love about Nolan’s Odyssey. For starters, this film trusts the audience in a way that most movies have stopped doing. Very little time is devoted to explaining the monsters and islands in detail. While this is the bulk of the text, it would’ve weighed a film down immensely. Rather than try and force a compromise, Nolan gives us space to fill in any lore gaps, urging us to simple “keep up”. I commend this as I believe this was the right course of action for adapting a story so famous. I am also absolutely obsessed with what Nolan did with Agamemnon. Full disclosure, Agamemnon is a personal favorite Iliad character of mine. The human embodiment of male hubris, Agamemnon’s pride and blind ambition drive the bulk of that story. His presence in both the Odyssey and the Iliad are incredibly powerful cautionary tales for any reader who would imagine himself as above the gods. He works better as a lesson than as a person so Nolan choosing to represent him as a mostly faceless, aura-farmer with a wimpy voice was genius. He really did justice to that character in particular. Also, the practical effects in this film are incredible and in my opinion, really honored the monsters and their proportions (especially the Laestrygonians).

One thing that really ate at me was Calypso’s Island. Of all the settings in the film, Ogygia felt decidedly bare. While it is Calypso herself keeping Odysseus trapped on the Island, Ogygia itself is supposed to be a place where you could envision staying forever. And it was essentially just a sandbar. Like whenever I saw the lotus I thought, “No way that thing grows here”. As a result, I think the score for Ogygia felt off as well. Each Island had their own sonic identity to accompany their own distinct setting. But not Ogygia. If the film wasn’t so visually and sonically solid otherwise, I wouldn’t have noticed at all. But I did and well, it is a bit unfortunate if anything.

As expected, all of the performances were incredible. While Nolan doesn’t strike me as an actor’s director, I do believe that the environments that he creates brings out the best in his actors. Everyone came to play but there are three performances in particular that completely blew me away:

• Matt Damon as Odysseus: Duh, this is a no-brainer. He brought so much texture to the role of Odysseus and really communicated the kind of suffering that a man like Odysseus would experience. He also brought much needed sex appeal to an otherwise sex-less film.

• Himesh Patel as Eurylochus: An incredibly grounding performance. A scene-stealer if there ever was one. I wanted to see more of him despite him being in like half of all the scenes.

• Samantha Morton as Circe: The things she was able to accomplish in 10 minutes. I have no words. If we ever adapt Madeline Miller’s Circe, work her into it!

This is a film about original sin. About how the violation of the fundamental law of a society, and its subsequent acceptance, spells doom for all. Odysseus’s journey is penance for his deed. While brilliant, the Trojan horse broke something for Greece and Odysseus has to carry that with him. Everywhere he goes he brings that doom with him. He is less than eager to return home because of it (at least in the film). Thematically, I think Nolan communicated that beautifully. But I do have to admit that there was a lot of heavy-handed and clunky moments scattered throughout. Where some of that earlier trust I mentioned was replaced with an almighty bonk to the head so that we couldn’t even consider anything else than the point being hammered home. Despite it’s issues however, you can consider me satisfied and more than a little relieved.

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