Like almost all of my peers here at Emerson College, I spent my summer indulging in the plethora of movies that the AMC had to offer. One of the standouts was Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, a retelling of Homer’s epic. Starring many of Hollywood’s favorite faces, the movie follows Odysseus (Matt Damon) on a harrowing journey home after the events of the Trojan War. As an enjoyer of Nolan’s work, I was immediately immersed in the visuals of the movie and the Greek mythology elements. And though I still harbor a lot of love for Nolan’s adaptation, upon speaking with many of my friends, I realized the film has a problem: it might not be feminist. (Note: Going forward, there will be spoilers to the story and film. You’ve been warned!)
Looking at the problem holistically, as a director, Christopher Nolan is infamous for being incapable of writing female characters. Though his stories highlight brilliant and complex male stars, the women are often entirely male-centric and do not pass one of the Internet’s favorite experiments—the Bechdel Test. The Bechdel Test is applied to films to test their feminist nature. How does a movie pass? It needs to have “two women who have a conversation about something other than a man,” as described by Clare Mulroy in USA Today. Many critics and filmgoers have seen problems with Nolan’s previous films for using women as plot devices, and while The Odyssey has been applauded for giving several of the female characters the context they deserve, many others think that Nolan could have done more.
It’s important to note that fans of the original poem already have issues with the way women are portrayed. They are often blamed for many of the issues in ancient Greece, and Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, is seen as representing a traditional martial role by patiently waiting for her husband’s return for 20 years. However, feminists interpret Penelope’s cunning test at the end where she stealthily confirms the stranger is her husband to highlight her as Odysseus’s intellectual equal. And contemporary writers have been finding creative ways to emphasize more of this feminist lens within the story in their retellings, such as Madeline Miller’s Circe, which “challenge[s] the epic’s patriarchal nature,” according to Martin Munyao Muinde’s piece about the feminist interpretations of Homer.
Circe especially stands out as a diversion from the original poem. In Homer’s version, after the tumultuous first meeting where Circe turns his men into pigs, Odysseus and Circe spend a full year as lovers before she helps him prepare to continue his journey. In Nolan’s retelling, her glamour is greatly decreased, and many walked away seeing her as “just a witch.” In their article, lecturer Bailey Sincox analyzes these differences by acknowledging the more minor role Circe plays while also acknowledging the connections this Circe has with modern interpretations. One such similarity is to Circe in Miller’s piece, where she is used as a symbol of empowerment, transforming the role of “witch” into something feminist and rightfully vindictive. Though this does not take away from many fans’ disappointment with the character’s quick appearance in Nolan’s work, it highlights an interesting shift from Circe’s role of caretaker to survivor.
However, I have seen and felt the biggest outrage toward Athena’s character. Played by Zendaya in the film, she serves solely as a male plot device, appearing sporadically (and very minimally) in order to assist Odysseus on his quest and internal growth. Though Athena is acknowledged and adored as the goddess of war, this is not shown in this interpretation; instead, she is “relegated to head-nodding and offering reassurance,” something that seems in line with Nolan’s previous use of female cast members. Writer Clare Mulroy said it best: “Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ would have us believe in the fortitude of men rather than the goddess working behind the scenes.” And while, as aforementioned, readers of Homer have admitted to the lack of feminist material in the original poem, it does not take away from the fact that Nolan fails to give anything new to the famous characters, especially with the star-studded lineup (other actresses include Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy and Anne Hathaway as Penelope). This aforementioned “Bechdel Test” has its own problems (mainly with the way it reduces feminist interpretations and its application as a “checklist”), but it highlights these issues and the lack of proper representation.
Moreover, Nolan cited Emily Wilson’s interpretation of the story as his inspiration, which is famous for being the first English edition of the work done by a woman and notably avoids using harsh language to talk about the female characters. This is an additional disappointment, as his source material contained so much hope for a new retelling of the ancient text, only to fall short in representing women as complex as they deserve.
While I still love The Odyssey and think it’s a gorgeous adaptation, I also think it’s important to note its weaknesses, especially when watching it through a feminist lens. I can only hope that Nolan’s next blockbuster will be able to pass the Bechdel Test and implement all female roles as something more than a mere plot device.