'Apparent Magic' of Christopher Nolan's Odyssey
FIELD NOTES
By Rev. Allie McDougall
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN'S adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey was undoubtedly the buzziest and best of the summer blockbusters.
It had all of the makings of an instant classic. From a technical perspective, it is an achievement in filmmaking that showcases Nolan’s commitment to an immersive theatrical experience. The performances by the leads and supporting actors were commendable and it will no doubt perform well during awards season.
But the box office success around the Odyssey runs deeper than impressive visuals and affecting acting. Like so many classical texts held near to the heart of the Western canon, the Odyssey has served as a major cultural reference, a vehicle of archetypes and a familiar heroic plot structure that is ripe for reinterpretation through time and space. The Homeric poems rank close to the scriptures of the Bible in terms of impact, influence, and staying power. Like Scripture, the Odyssey has been a template and a screen for storytellers to manipulate and explore the anxieties and concerns of the day. Nolan’s reimagining is no different.
Critics and audiences alike have picked up on the obvious themes of guilt, memory, and yearning as they unfold through Odysseus’ long journey back to Ithaca. What Nolan has added to the narrative is a strong anti-war message as we watch Odysseus grapple with his part in the siege of Troy, the deaths of his men, and his subservience to the wrath of Agamemnon. There is also anxiety about the decline of civilization in the wake of war that is expressed by multiple characters. These plot points are not only consistent with the messages contained within Nolan’s wider body of work, but with the emerging sense of unrest and mistrust felt by contemporary Western society. Beyond geopolitics and the decline of civilization, the theological elements of the film also felt exceedingly 21st century.
The opening title card of the film reads: “In a time of apparent magic…”. The film leaves the interpretation of this statement up to its audience and their definition of the word “apparent”. Is the magic obvious and plain to the characters and the stakes of the plot? Or does it only appear to be true and impactful?
The gods and the supernatural play prominent roles in the original poem, yet Nolan’s script favours ambiguity. The mythical creatures that Odysseus and his men battle against are present and the danger they pose is real. The gods however are depicted elementally – Zeus is found in thunder and lightning and Poseidon in the raging Aegean. Athena is present in her role as Odysseus’ guide, but a third act twist reveals that she has taken the form of a priestess beheaded at the siege of Troy by the Ithacan soldiers, casting doubt as to whether the goddess is truly with him or is merely a projection of his guilt. The “law of Zeus” or xenia, the ancient Greek law of hospitality to strangers (and correlate to the Golden Rule) serves as the moral centre of the film. The abandonment of the law is the driving force of civilizational decline and the source of a great number of the trials Odysseus and his men face.
What can be said about the relevance of the creative and interpretive approach of Nolan’s script to the spiritual context of its audience?
The film has no problem depicting the monstrous, but it dances agnostically around the divine. I believe this to be an accurate reflection of the limited theological imagination in the secular world. We have no problem playing with horrific, fantastical imagery to understand and cope with the injustices and violence of the world we live in. We are able to name that the abandonment of the Golden Rule (as we understand it) has contributed negatively to the fabric of society. We know on some level that these things displease God. Yet our ability to direct our anxieties to a divine presence or to seek understanding is hampered by doubt, skepticism, and cynicism. The liberal secular age of reason has not provided a satisfactory framework for the spiritual malaise and societal anxiety we feel, but accessing faith seems out of reach. The decision to leave the presence of the gods to audience interpretation feels like a polite way to hold up the existential threats we all feel and say, “do with that what you will.”
The gods of Greek mythology range from ambivalence to contempt in their dispositions toward humanity, and perhaps their ambiguity was Nolan’s editorial intention all along. Watching this film through a Christian lens, in acknowledgment of the philosophical through-line from Platonism to Christianity, I could not help but notice the reticence in engaging with the divine beyond moral claims and the perception of divine judgement. This adaptation is a product of a post-Christian mindset that is comfortable naming the problems but reluctant to explore where authority, truth, and hope might come from. If adaptations of classical texts continue to be mirrors for the people of the current age to better see themselves, then Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey succeeds.
Rev. Allie McDougall is Rector of St. Mary's Walkerville.