FP Weekend -July 25, 2026 - we weigh in on Christopher Nolan’s polarizing Odyssey, which has been wildly successful at the box office since its release last week.

 

JULY 25, 2026  |  VIEW IN BROWSER  |  DOWNLOAD THE APP

Welcome to FP Weekend, our weekly showcase of reviews, deep dives, and other features that step away from the drumbeat of the news. This week, we weigh in on Christopher Nolan’s polarizing Odyssey, which has been wildly successful at the box office since its release last week. Our reviewer, Roman history expert Bret Devereaux, is a fan. Forgiving of the film’s historical inaccuracies, he finds a potent narrative of civilizational breakdown with a clear relevance to our present age. Elsewhere, we join Greenlanders on a ferry along the coast of their island—and find out what ordinary residents think about the United States, Denmark, and their future. Other reads look at the left-wing origins of the U.S. right’s deep-state obsession, the success of queer Nepali cinema, and the 1978 Jonestown massacre.—Stefan Theil, deputy editor

A battle scene from the film ‘The Odyssey’ by director Christopher Nolan. Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures Review Odysseus at the End of Civilization Nolan’s film confronts the betrayal of the West’s own values. By Bret Devereaux Free to Read

Essay Riding the Greenland Ferry Traveling along the coast, Greenlanders explain what the world misunderstands about their island. By Ben Buckland

Analysis The Forgotten History of the Deep State Obsession  In the 1970s, fears of an out-of-control executive branch emanated from Democrats, not Republicans. By Julian E. Zelizer

Analysis Nepal’s Queer Cinema Is Becoming a National Triumph A Cannes win has turned trans actors from outsiders to heroes. By Bibek Bhandari

BOOK Review This is a story very much about race, racial politics, and division—not only the divisions inside Guyanese society but also the racial politics of the People’s Temple itself, where a white one-time civil rights preacher initiated the mass killing of a largely Black congregation. —James Palmer on Journey to Nowhere: A New World Tragedy by Shiva Naipaul

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