The Odyssey of Nolan: a journey into the soul of Ulysses beyond the myth

The wait for the Nolan Odyssey was palpable both for the cameramen and for those who at the cinema instead go only for the big blockbuster. The employees of the film chains were not, and are not, accustomed to this influx and marketing campaigns had hammered anyone for months.

But what was really this movie?

A big psychological analysis of Ulysses as a man, as a soldier, as a husband and as a leader. The first part of the film appears slow, but we know how much must happen and how many characters we still have to meet. The very Hollywood cast holds the viewer on the surface for a longer time than normal, and then pushes you almost violently into history.

When we get to Circe, we're completely absorbed. The differences with the work of Homer are clear, but not annoying. This is clearly the Odyssey of Nolan, one of the best directors of our generation. The emotional wave with which he tells the post-traumatic disorder, letting go of control and obsessive love causes the feeling of initial slowness to disappear after the first third of film.

The colors, frames and soundtrack drag you into the universe of Ulysses and history without ever giving you a break. The women of the film are strong, present and indestructible and show a courage that historically did not belong to him but that they had to find.

An honorary note goes to Anne Hathaway and her Penelope, even Tom Holland as Telemaco looks like a stunned beginner. Finally, I also want to talk about the parts of the film shot in the occupied desert of Morocco.

According to the Moroccan Film Centre, in 2025 foreign productions generated investments for over 165 million dollars in the country. In addition, the incentive system covers up to 30% of eligible expenditure, while the remaining 70% is supported directly by productions, with economic impacts on hotels, transport, technicians, compasses and other local activities.

We know we live a particular and difficult historical moment for sets choices like this. The Western Sahara is considered by the United Nations as an independent territory. Since 1975, Morocco has been controlling about 80% of the territory, while the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria, claims the independence of the Sahrawi people. Almost fifty years after the beginning of the dispute, a shared solution has not yet been found.

But how can we really criticize her without real hand data? We know that the state aid covered only 30 percent of the costs, so the rest of the costs could have helped small local realities.

Moreover, the media attention that the film brought could come to help? Perhaps, before condemning or defending a choice like this, we should ask ourselves: do we really have all the elements to evaluate its impact, both political and economic, on the people who live that territory?