There are many moving pieces in a film as ambitious as Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. The tale begins with a little event known as the Trojan War and then takes audiences on an unforgettable journey filled with monsters, unwanted suitors, and even gods.
However, there's one storyline that's very important to the events of the film, and it is the central conflict between Sinon (Elliot Page) and Antinous (Robert Pattinson).
Once Odysseus (Matt Damon) agrees to follow King Agamemnon (Benny Safdie) to war, he recruits an army from his home island of Ithaca by lottery. The way it is determined whether someone goes to fight at the city of Troy is by pulling small wooden pegs from a box. If the color of the lot is black, then you must go to lay siege to Troy. Now, this is where things could get a bit murky.
But before we begin, consider this an official warning. There will be spoilers for The Odyssey ahead. If you don't want any surprises ruined, it's best to turn back now.
Still here? Great, then you know that different people have different versions of the events that followed. For instance, Antinous swears that he begged Odysseus to let him go to war. However, the king of Ithaca supposedly refused and asked him to stay on the island and take care of his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland). Meanwhile, people like Sinon state that Antinous was, in fact, selected to go to war but found a way to trick fate. So, what really happened?
Sinon accepted the offer to take Antinous' place place in exchange for money
As audiences learn during the third act of The Odyssey, Antinous is no brave hero. This idea is perfectly demonstrated when he has the chance to fight Odysseus head-on but instead falls back and orders other suitors to finish the job. Well, it turns out that his cowardice was present from the very moment he was chosen to go to Troy.
When Odysseus held the lottery to determine who would go to war, Antinous was, in fact, selected (regardless of how much he states otherwise). However, when he was faced with such a difficult scenario, he asked Sinon to take his place. As a reward, Antinous promised to give large amounts of money to Sinon's parents.
Sinon accepted the offer, and Odysseus found out about the deal. It was at that moment that the king of Ithaca talked to Antinous' father to try to set things right. But as the movie explains, "Odysseus was sensitive to a father's shame." He knew that Antinous was doing everything in his power to avoid going to war because he wasn't brave enough. So, the king agreed to take Sinon to war instead of Antinous to spare the latter's family from embarrassment. Surely, all parties got what they wanted, right? Well, unfortunately, history wasn't so kind.
Sinon is eventually killed by Trojan soldiers, and Odysseus gets to meet his spirit in the underworld. It is there that Sinon reveals that Antinous didn't fulfill his part of the deal. Instead, Sinon's father died in poverty, begging for anything he could get, as he never received a single cent from Antinous or his family. When Odysseus discovers this, it becomes his personal mission to "bring Antinous his shame."
Once the king of Ithaca finally returns home, he gives Antinous the wooden lot that represented his biggest deceit and his biggest act of cowardice. It was a full-circle moment that came just moments before Antinous' (well-deserved) death.
The conflict between Sinon and Antinous may not be extremely complicated, but it can be a bit difficult to tell who is telling the truth. But as is the case in any film, you shouldn't believe the bad guy.
The Odyssey is now playing in theaters.
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