Elliot Page makes a triumphant return to the big screen in "The Odyssey," which reunites the Oscar-nominated actor with "Inception" director Christopher Nolan.Show Caption
Spoiler alert! We're discussing important details about the plot of “The Odyssey” (in theaters now). Stop reading if you haven’t seen it yet and don’t want to know what happens.Christopher Nolan has the Midas touch.For his seismic new epic “The Odyssey,” the director has assembled an A-list cast of Hollywood stars all bringing their A-game, from gut-wrenching heavy hitters Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway to spellbinding scene-stealers Samantha Morton and John Leguizamo.But perhaps the performance that lingers most in our minds is that of Elliot Page, 39, who in just a few short scenes anchors the film with his guileless sincerity and righteous anger. It’s Page’s first major studio movie since 2017’s “Flatliners,” reminding us just how much we’ve missed seeing him at the cineplex.Who does Elliot Page play in ‘The Odyssey' movie?Page disappears into the critical role of Sinon, a Greek soldier who does not show up in Homer’s “Odyssey,” but is instead introduced in Virgil’s epic poem “The Aeneid."When Nolan’s film opens, Sinon is fatally speared down by Trojan soldiers on a beach. But before he dies, he reveals to them that the giant wooden horse left outside their city is a gift for Athena. Little does Sinon know, Odysseus and his men are hiding inside the horse to launch a sneak attack on Troy.Believing the Trojan Horse to be a peace offering, the officers drag the hollow figure inside the city walls and place it outside the Temple of Athena, which leads to Troy’s harrowing downfall hours later. Although Sinon is offscreen for much of the movie, he comes to represent a glimmer of pure goodness in a world consumed by hatred and brutality. But he, too, grows disillusioned: Midway through the film, Odysseus and his crew visit the underworld, where they’re confronted by the ghost of Sinon.Emerging from the ground with black grit and blood smeared across his face, the spectral Sinon laments Odysseus' betrayal, not knowing what was inside the Trojan Horse and that it would lead to so much carnage. Odysseus counters that his lie helped win them the Trojan War, but Sinon fires back, saying that gives him no comfort when he is forced to wander among the dead.With Sinon, “you’re looking to put a face on certain elements of what Odysseus has done, what that means for the world as a whole,” Nolan told Rolling Stone UK. “You’re looking to put a face on the tragedy of war. And I think [Page] did an incredible job.”Ignore the echo chamber – Elliot Page has always been a starPage brings a searing yet wounded quality to Sinon, who implores Odysseus to honor his other fallen soldiers. It’s a powerfully understated and haunting showcase for the actor, who has enraptured audiences over the last two decades with his open-hearted vulnerability and disarming, razor-sharp wit.In his 2005 breakthrough “Hard Candy,” Page is tasked with striking a queasy balance of seduction and sadism, deftly playing a vengeful teen who ensnares an online predator (Patrick Wilson). He oozes confidence and cool in Drew Barrymore’s wildly entertaining “Whip It,” portraying a would-be pageant star-turned-roller derby rebel. And in the riveting “Tallulah,” Page taps into a deep well of emotional complexity, helping us to feel for a well-intentioned drifter who steals someone else’s baby.Page is, of course, best known for his Oscar-nominated turn in the 2007 comedy “Juno,” playing a smart-mouthed high-schooler navigating an unwanted pregnancy.In lesser hands, Diablo Cody’s Rolodex of quirky zingers could come across more grating than endearing. (“Silencio, old man!”) But like a bolt of lightning from Zeus himself, Page instantly charms us from his first swig of SunnyD, creating a character whose quippy armor hides a sensitive soul longing for meaningful connection.Throughout his 20-year career, Page has artfully juggled independent fare (“Super,” “Smart People”) with enormous genre blockbusters (Nolan’s “Inception,” the “X-Men” franchise). But ever since he came out as a trans man in late 2020, the actor has primarily worked behind the scenes in the documentary space as a producer, in addition to his role as Viktor in Netflix comic-book series “The Umbrella Academy.”Page’s casting in “The Odyssey” has ruffled the feathers of a small but loud group of transphobic keyboard warriors on social media, although most people living in the real world have no problem whatsoever with Page.At the end of the day, “The Odyssey” is shaping up to be a colossal box-office hit that ought to reopen the door for him to get more opportunities in Hollywood, should he wish to take them. Like Odysseus returning to Ithaca, Page has finally found his way back home to the big screen – and frankly, we couldn’t be more thrilled.
