The influence of Homer's epic poem The Odyssey cannot be overstated. First composed more than 2,500 years ago, it has impacted and influenced the imagination of thinkers and cultures for centuries.

Illustrating the timelessness of such iconic works of literature, acclaimed writer and director Christopher Nolan has produced a modern action fantasy adaptation. Released July 17, the film immediately captivated the public, becoming the top-grossing and most attended film in the country.

On the film's opening night, the Southampton Playhouse welcomed Stony Brook University faculty Stephen Aubrey and LB Thompson, who presented a short talk and Q&A to moviegoers ahead of the screening. Aubrey and Thompson are faculty members in the MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literature, part of Stony Brook's Department of Creative Writing, Film and Television.

In Nolan's adaptation, viewers follow Odysseus, the legendary King of Ithaca, on his long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War. Throughout his voyage, he's forced to confront the whims of the gods, mythological monsters and challenges that push both his cunning and his humanity to the breaking point.

Aubrey, a creative writing lecturer, spoke of the work's significant influence on storytelling throughout the centuries.

"The Odyssey is a part of an oral tradition, a poetic oral tradition," he said. "It has in its DNA this idea of storytelling that is told over and over and over again, and you can see in the poem that there's artifacts of different periods of Greek history and the ways in which they've maybe put additions or reinterpreted moments of the poem. In that respect, we can see Christopher Nolan's Odyssey as part of that tradition. He's making an Odyssey for the year 2026 and asking, what about this ancient poem speaks to us today?"

Thompson, an assistant professor of creative writing, looked at the film through the lens of trauma.

"The trauma angle resonated with me as I was reading it this time because there's this notion of home and the problems of returning home and the very idea of what home means for a man who's been forged into a warrior to stop being at war, and what storms arise in the character following the war," she said. "We all have our personal reasons for having our lenses."

For Thompson, a big influence was the veteran writers she has had in class during her career.

"I've seen a lot of young folks coming back on the GI Bill and literature resonates with them," she said. "They need to hear it. They have the same kind of hunger that I do, and the ways that poems after war, after World War I, for example, resonate with me. I think it has to do with something that I recognize in this moment of life where you realize the battle isn't over, the battle is still inside you."

Aubrey said events like this are a valuable way to grow the relationship between the university and the town.

"It was really great to be in front of a receptive audience that was looking for more than the usual 15 minutes of trailers," said Aubrey. "This gave them a chance to listen to two people who have thought deeply about this film, tell them some things that sort of prime their brains, and help them understand a context to enjoy a movie and be part of a tradition. I always love going out and speaking to people who have no idea about the things I teach in my classes. It was a great opportunity to be in a movie theater and say 'There's a lot going on here. Here's something to think about.' I think we have to share our wisdom, and I always love meeting people where they're at in terms of what they learn."

The Southampton Playhouse is a historic theater that first opened its doors in 1932, and embodies the resilience of the theatrical experience and its ability to inspire audiences for generations.

"The Odyssey has endured for millennia in part because it was the original spectacle, a blockbuster before blockbusters were invented," said Eric Cohn, artistic director of Southampton Playhouse. "Christopher Nolan's film is fascinating for the way it leans into that history, with a largely faithful rendition that unearths its true cinematic potential. We were thrilled to be joined by experts in the field to help contextualize this achievement."

Thompson highlighted the importance of sharing art with others in a post-COVID world, noting that she enjoyed reenacting the oral tradition and being in a sold-out theater.

"It's wonderful to be assembled at a nonprofit organization that shares a mission with what our Department of Creative Writing, Film and Television shares," she said. "Nonprofit organizations are often fueled by a handful of people who care, and the same can be true of departments and the ways the mission, vision and value statements are crafted. There's a lot of thought and discourse that goes into that, and I feel like when we do an event like this, our missions align. That's what we're meant to be doing."

- Robert Emproto