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Matt Damon: "The Odyssey"

 "The Odyssey" is the story of Circe, a witch on an island. (In a 1990s version, Circe was Bernadette Peters, but I have to admit that Samantha Morton is better.) Having endured sexual assault, Circe trusts no one. She feigns generosity, then sets a trap.


As Odysseus's men eat Circe's stew, Circe casts a spell. She turns the men into pigs. In a great twist, the current "Odyssey" imagines that the transformation involves *physical* labor. Circe sculpts the pigs as if sculpting clay. It's like something from "The Fly." Really appalling.

Odysseus pleads with Circe--these men intended no harm, and in fact they did not harm Circe. But Circe does not miss a beat. "They WOULD HAVE harmed me," she says. (And I think everyone in the audience will agree with Circe, not with Odysseus.)

Circe refers to a human form as a "disguise"; her guests are pigs, and she has simply removed the disguise.

There is a parallel between Circe and Oydsseus. Circe behaves in monstrous ways because she is wounded; this is true for Odysseus, as well. He has violated basic human laws. He is disgusted with himself. But he has to continue getting dressed every morning. Because Circe is both intelligent and broken, she is Odysseus's greatest adversary.

Christopher Nolan's "Circe interlude" is the one viscerally thrilling scene in "The Odyssey." (Other parts are intellectually thrilling without "hitting you in the gut.") Everything Samantha Morton says is surprising and inevitable; she has found her own Circe, a new way of seeing Circe. This is impressive because (of course) we are now 2,000 years past the birth of Christ. Many of the celebrity cameos in this movie cannot match the work of Matt Damon--who is subtle, committed, and inventive. Morton is someone who *can* match (and outshine) Matt Damon.

I'd see it for Morton.
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