As Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey sails into view, epic both in scale and emotional heft (Editorial, 10 July), it is interesting to note that Uberto Pasolini’s 2024 film The Return strips the poem of gods and monsters to reveal Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) traumatised by war, emotionally and psychologically bewildered – an ancient precursor to post-traumatic stress disorder. Penelope (Juliette Binoche), as wife and mother, has her own inner demons to contend with in a male world immersed in physical prowess and killing. Both have been hollowed out by their experiences.
Perhaps Homer set out to tell a good story, but in doing so revealed so much more, not least the futility of war and in the words of Robert Burns: “Man’s inhumanity to man / Makes countless thousands mourn!”
Alex Dickie
Edinburgh
