What Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey teaches us about power, agency and ethical influence
This article considers the film’s broad themes and production while leaving story developments undisclosed.
I recently saw Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey at the IMAX cinema in Sydney and was fortunate to sit beside a filmmaker and academic whose knowledge of cinema shaped the post-screening reflection. When I mentioned that I was writing about negotiation, he described the story as a study in negotiating with the gods.
He also noted that a second negotiation was taking place behind the screen. A production of this scale required sustained coordination among filmmakers, performers, technicians, studios, laboratories and cinemas. The completed 70mm IMAX print weighs approximately 272 kilograms and extends for around 18 kilometres. Kodak reports that the production exposed over two million feet of 65mm film, equivalent to about 610 kilometres.
On screen, Odysseus moves through a world shaped by divine authority, human ambition, social obligation and natural forces. Behind the screen, Nolan and his collaborators worked with the physical and technical demands of large-format filmmaking to realise a shared creative vision.
Both stories begin with an accurate reading of power, conditions and possibility.
Power sets the conditions
Negotiations begin before the people involved enter the room. Authority, reputation, history, status and access to resources already shape the encounter. Each party arrives with particular sources of power, affecting what can be requested, offered, withheld or promised.
In The Odyssey, the distribution of power changes continually. Gods, rulers, hosts, strangers and family members each hold distinct forms of influence. Physical strength shapes some encounters. Social obligation, intelligence, persuasion and reputation guide others.
Made me reflect that the same principle applies to leadership. A board operates within regulatory, financial and cultural conditions. An executive carries positional authority and responsibility for relationships and outcomes. An employee may hold specialist knowledge, organisational memory or the trust of colleagues. Each source of influence carries corresponding responsibilities.
Effective negotiation begins with clear questions. Who controls the process? Who holds relevant information? Which relationships carry influence? What obligations already exist? Which decisions will affect people beyond the immediate exchange?
These questions turn power into useful information.
Agency comes through attention
Odysseus’s progress depends on his capacity to observe. He reads shifts in mood, identifies the interests shaping an encounter and adjusts his approach to the conditions before him. His intelligence operates through attention, timing, language and judgement.
I'm alert to this playing out, recognising that a stable mind supports this form of agency. Pressure activates the body and narrows attention. You know the experience - we may feel an urge to prove ourselves, answer a provocation, secure an immediate concession or escape discomfort. Mindfulness creates internal space to recognise these impulses and choose a response that supports the conversation's purpose.
The reflection took me back to a time when I was involved in an extended negotiation that affected the wellbeing of my entire family. It was emotionally, cognitively and physically demanding. I felt at sea. Values and a clear vision for the best collective outcome became my compass. Mindfulness helped me remain connected to both as the negotiation continued.
My experience of mindfulness comes from 35 years of practice, 25 years of teaching and 15 years of research. Practice develops our capacity to remain present while the body carries stress. In demanding circumstances, that capacity becomes a stable form of attention.
Mindfulness helps us perceive what is happening within us, between us and around us. That field of attention protects agency under pressure.
Identity carries influence
We know that identity shapes how people enter a negotiation and how others interpret their position. Professional responsibilities, social status, reputation, experience and group membership all affect the exchange.
The Odyssey treats identity as strategic information. Recognition, reputation and self-knowledge influence the development of relationships. The story invites us to consider when disclosure supports trust, when observation should come first and how identity shapes expectations.
Leaders make these judgements regularly. A title may provide access. Expertise may establish credibility. A personal relationship may create trust. Organisational history may add weight to a promise or concern.
Mindful negotiation uses these sources of influence with ethical intent. We choose what to disclose, when to speak and how to describe our interests. We also attend to the effect our status has on another person’s willingness to contribute.
Presence includes restraint. Listening and observing reveal the conditions required for a productive exchange.
Relationships create obligations
The ancient Greek principle of xenia provides an important social structure within The Odyssey. It describes the reciprocal relationship between guest and host, including expectations of hospitality, respect, protection and future reciprocity.
This principle places negotiation within an ongoing relationship. Agreements create expectations that continue beyond the immediate conversation. A promise shapes trust. A concession may establish reciprocity. The treatment of a person with limited power communicates the ethical character of the decision-maker.
French and Raven’s bases of social power offer a practical framework for examining the currencies in use. Legitimate power comes from formal authority. Coercive power draws on the capacity to punish. Reward power offers a benefit. Expert, referent and informational power draw on knowledge, standing and access to relevant information.
Each use of power affects the relationship. Ethical influence considers the immediate result, the continuing relationship and everyone affected by the decision.
Negotiating a film into existence
The production of The Odyssey gives these ideas physical form. As the first feature filmed entirely with IMAX film cameras, it depended on specialised knowledge across camera design, sound, film stock, processing, transport, editing, projection and exhibition.
A shared vision gave this work direction. Values shaped decisions about craft, quality and audience experience. Technical expertise turned creative intent into practical action. Trust allowed collaborators to address uncertainty, revise their approach and solve problems together.
Nolan’s creative authority provided direction. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema and the technical teams contributed expert and informational power. Studios and exhibitors brought resources, infrastructure and access. Each participant carried part of the outcome.
The film is evidence of collective agency. A demanding creative vision reached the screen through coordination, judgement and sustained commitment.
The gods are already in the room
Negotiating with the gods is a useful metaphor for leadership because every significant negotiation contains forces beyond the individuals involved. Culture enters the room. Regulation enters the room. Economic pressure, institutional memory, public expectations and previous decisions enter the room.
Mindfulness expands our awareness of this wider field.
Within us, we can observe fear, urgency, pride and attachment.
Between us, we can observe trust, authority, reciprocity and competing interests.
Around us, we can observe the systems, histories and incentives shaping the discussion.
Before a demanding conversation, these questions can help us establish our bearing:
- What forms of power are operating here?
- Which sources of influence are available to me?
- What interests and obligations shape this exchange?
- Where is my emotional state directing my attention?
- Which values will guide my decisions?
- What collective outcome are we seeking?
- What future will this agreement help create?
The Odyssey invites us to approach negotiation as a practice of orientation. We read the conditions, choose our bearing and use influence in service of a collective outcome.
