One of Christopher Nolan’s greatest strengths is that he is capable of films that are unconventional and esoteric yet still accessible to popular audiences. He was therefore the ideal director to adapt the mammoth and labyrinthine poetry of a Homeric text. It is unsurprising that his take on The Odyssey is another success to add to his growing list of iconic films, albeit one that will spark significant controversy due to its underlying political message.
Nolan successfully adapts the text to modern times while still keeping the ideas at its core. Instead of lingering on its more fantastical elements or getting overly concerned with details of historical accuracy, he aims to capture the general mood of the poem on a holistic level, drawing out its most relevant and timely ideas.
The film’s main theme is the morality of leadership, centring on Odysseus (Matt Damon), a man who betrays the values of piety and honour and faces the consequences for doing so.
It therefore makes an insistent and compelling point on the importance of strong moral leaders and makes clear the consequences of failure in this respect. It is difficult to read this aspect of the film as anything other than a commentary on our own political context, where many feel let down by our leaders from a wider moral standpoint.
This political angle to the film is interesting given that Nolan has been interpreted by some critics throughout his career to be a conservative filmmaker with an underlying right-wing perspective. Nolan himself has never commented on this interpretation of his works, but this film does speak to that idea in some respects. In general, it leans into the idea that the abandonment of tradition, customs and social order will lead to the breakdown of civilised society and therefore seems to take a decidedly conservative stance on certain social issues.
That being said, it would be equally possible to regard the film as a commentary on American politics, and namely the presidency of Donald Trump, who is often seen as someone who has abandoned civility in his politics. It is possible to interpret the film through either of these lenses.
Without speaking to any personal feelings on the film’s political content, the film is a major success. It is characterised by a majestic visual language, strong performances from a variety of veteran actors and a strong allegorical message that cleverly adapts an ancient tale to our present political context, making a strong and salient point while also leaving plenty open for interpretation.
It is a long and challenging film that can drag in certain moments that would have benefitted from a faster pace in certain stretches of its runtime though this is somewhat understandable given the length of the original poem. In spite of this issue it is still one of Nolan’s strongest efforts, and a largely successful interpretation of a classic text.
4/5
Image Credit: TMDB
