The Ulysses Project is 2022 Irish drama film, adapted from the James Joyce novel, Ulysses. Shot entirely during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film is a modern, non-traditional re-telling of its source material, told rapidly by a succession of over 75 actors who recreate the characters encountered by Leopold Bloom on June 16th, 1904. The film attempts to maintain the rhythm of the novel's stream of consciousness within the constraints of a pandemic vernacular, as actors filmed themselves in close-up while being directed via WhatsApp. The cast includes John Turturro, Aidan Gillen, Olwen Fouéré, Shane MacGowan, Paula Meehan, and Barry Ward.[1]
Originally streamed in 2020 as a fundraiser CHiPS Soup Kitchen & Women's Shelter in Brooklyn, NY, the film later have a theatrical release in 2022 through the Irish Film Institute.[2]
Plot
The Ulysses Project depicts the 18 episodes of its source material, each told rapid succession. The story parallels Homer's The Odyssey in both theme or structure.
Part I: The Telemachiad (Episodes 1–3)
The novel begins with Stephen Dedalus, an intellectual and aspiring writer, who is struggling with his identity and artistic ambitions. He resents his English employer, Haines, and is haunted by memories of his deceased mother. These chapters establish Stephen as the novel's "Telemachus" (Odysseus’ son in The Odyssey), searching for guidance and direction.
Part II: The Odyssey (Episodes 4–15)
The narrative shifts to Leopold Bloom, a Jewish advertising agent and the novel's Odysseus figure. As Bloom moves through Dublin—attending a funeral, working, eating lunch, and encountering various characters—he reflects on life, mortality, and his troubled marriage. His wife, Molly, is having an affair with Blazes Boylan, which torments Bloom.
Throughout the day, Bloom crosses paths with Stephen, who is aimless and intoxicated. The two finally connect in the "Circe" episode (set in a surreal, hallucinatory brothel scene), where Bloom takes on a fatherly role toward Stephen.
Part III: The Nostos (Episodes 16–18)
Bloom and Stephen leave the brothel, talk about philosophy and politics, and eventually part ways. Bloom returns home, finds evidence of Molly's affair, but ultimately resigns himself to the complexities of love and marriage.
The novel ends with Molly Bloom's famous soliloquy—a long, unpunctuated stream-of-consciousness monologue—where she reminisces about her past, her love for Bloom, and ultimately affirms life with her repeated "Yes."[3]
Cast
Susan Ateh as Molly Bloom / The Kisses / Gerty MacDowell
In 2022, The Ulysses Project was invited to screen at the 100 years of James Joyce Ulysses celebrations with a special screening at Irish Film Institute & Bloomsday Film Festival present: Ulysses 100.
In 2024, The Ulysses Project screened as a special screening to mark June 16 Bloomsday at Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith, London, and in Ireland at Droichead Arts Centre.
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