Does ‘The Odyssey’ Have A Woman Problem?

Does ‘The Odyssey’ Have A Woman Problem?

July 17, 2026 · 52 min · Episode 130

About this episode

Sam Sanders discusses the film 'The Odyssey' with critic Angelica Jade Bastién, focusing on its shortcomings in female representation.

The summer’s most anticipated blockbuster is finally here...  ‘The Odyssey,’ directed by Christopher Nolan, is a retelling of the ancient  Greek epic of the same name. The movie has received rave reviews, but for Sam the movie fell short.  He caught up with film critic Angelica Jade Bastién to break down the movie's highs and lows, from lackluster performances to bad lighting to  Angelica’s biggest critique — Christopher Nolan doesn’t know how to write women.  Plus, Angelica shares a shortlist of her favorite films of the last few years. You can catch all her film reviews in ‘ Vulture ’ and in her substack ‘ Madwomen & Muses .’ Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week. The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.  

People in this episode

Host: Sam Sanders

Guest: Angelica Jade Bastién

Topics covered

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Vulture, Madwomen & Muses

Books & works: The Odyssey

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