Odysseus Returns

"Odysseus Returns" is a documentary exploring the possibility that the grave of the legendary King of Ithaca, Odysseus, has been found. Yes, the same Odysseus who appears in Homer's Iliad; he's the one who comes up with the idea for the Trojan Horse. And the same Odysseus who is the hero of Homer's "Odyssey."

There's one problem with this, you might think. Aren't the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" works of fiction? I certainly thought so. And as such, any of the characters appearing in those stories are also fictional. As in, you're not going to find the actual grave for a fictional character anywhere. Well, don't tell that to anyone interviewed for this documentary. Not one of them even mentioned the idea that Odysseus was just a character in a story. They all seem to think he was real.

So if you watch this film, you will see details unravel around the grave site with archaeologists and amateurs pursuing this angle. The Greek Ministry of Culture has not taken a position on the authenticity of the site, in terms of who was actually buried there. It seems that it was a person of importance in antiquity, but that's about as conclusive as it gets.

Overall this was mildly interesting. A fair amount of time was spent explaining why the main protagonist in this film, amateur historian Makis Metaxas, believes the Greek island of Kefalonia was Odysseus's home and not Ithaca. The next part is the uncovering of the grave, and the controversy that resulted afterwards. Worth a look if you're into archaeology and/or ancient history.

7/10. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Sure on a rainy day.