Take our Depression Test

Find a therapist to heal from trauma

PTSD isn't new; ancient myths reveal archetypal struggles with trauma and reintegration.

Mythic experiences in The Odyssey mirror timeless patterns of psychic numbing and avoidance.

Odysseus's distractions with Circe and Calypso parallel modern coping with trauma via escapism.

A brief commentary on director Christopher Nolan's new film The Odyssey (2026), in the context of Homer's epic poem and its significance for psychotherapy today: While I am admittedly no movie critic, let me begin by saying that, overall, I did not care much for the film. Not the acting, cinematography, screenwriting, soundtrack, dialog, special effects, nor Nolan's ill-advised casting choices.

Though Matt Damon, an extremely talented actor, is great in the Bourne series and did a superb job playing the deeply traumatized and brilliant young man needing therapy in Good Will Hunting (1997), I did not find him at all convincing as Odysseus for some reason, possibly due to typecasting, though I believe it probably goes well beyond that. While watching the film I kept flashing back to Kirk Douglas as Odysseus in the original 1954 movie version and his far more passionate and nuanced portrayal.

And surprisingly, I also kept imagining Brad Pitt (Achilles in the much better 2004 film Troy ) or some other seasoned action or character actor in the part. Damon just didn't look right to me in the role. Passion, intensity, and complexity, may have been what I found most missing in Matt Damon's rather one-dimensional performance, which was simply too emotionally flat, controlled, and robotic in most scenes, reminiscent of his Jason Bourne character.

Despite his presumably passionate desire and commitment to returning home to Ithaca, his wife, son, and kingdom following a hard-won and bitter victory in the Trojan War, when Odysseus finally finds his way back to his old........

© Psychology Today