Official Synopsis
Australian farmer Joshua Connor, who, in 1919 goes in search of his three missing sons, last known to have fought against the Turks in the bloody Battle of Gallipoli. Arriving in Istanbul, he is thrust into a vastly different world, where he encounters others who have suffered their own losses in the conflict: Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), a strikingly beautiful but guarded hotelier and single mother; her young, spirited son, Orhan (Dylan Georgiades), who finds a friend in Connor; and Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdoğan), a Turkish officer who fought against Connor’s boys and who may be this father’s only hope. With seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his path, Connor must travel across the battle-scarred Turkish landscape to find the truth…and his own peace.
This is one of those films that flies under the radar. You think it might be a throwaway film with a big name attached to it, but it ends up being much, much better than expected. In short, I adore films like this.
Shall we begin?
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The first act sets the tone for the rest of the film right from the get-go. Joshua Connor (Russell Crowe) is a hardworking Australian, who has the gift for finding water where there should be no water (thus the title). He has to do things like this to keep his mind off his kids fighting in the Battle of Gallipoli against the Turks. Not just a single son, but all his sons (three in total). Along side of him is his grieving wife, Eliza (Jacqueline McKenzie), who knows her boys have been lost in battle and soon takes her own life because she can’t stand the fact her boys might be dead. Now, left alone in the world with only the dying wish of his wife to locate the boys, even if it’s just their bodies, Connor makes his way out towards Gallipoli in hopes to find something/anything.
Talk about a start to a film, this has to be the most depressing one in the last few years. Love the emotion of the characters and how they’re shaped through an unseen tragic state of affairs. The first act really puts in perspective how disconnected families were with their loved ones during World War I. Not knowing if someone is alive or dead and having to spend a large amount time to figure it out is just a real slap of reality right in the face, one in which director Russell Crowe didn’t shy away from delivering. If that setup wasn’t enough to convince you of the drama Crowe wanted to push, he takes the next step by sending Connor on a journey to find his dead sons bodies in hopes of closing the chapter in his now tragic family’s life.
If there needed to be an attention grabber to make you focus on the movie, this first act did it quite well.
As the second act begins, Connor finds himself in no man’s land trying to figure out a way to get to Gallipoli. His first stop brings him to a hotel, where his English/Australian identity isn’t welcomed. Run by a single mother named Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), who watches over her son, Orhan (Dylan Georgiades), she reluctantly welcomes Connor into her establishment. After a bumpy start, for both Ayshe and Connor, Connor finally finds a way into Gallipoli, only to find tragedy awaiting him (bodies of two of his sons)…as well as the enemy who helped see it through. Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdogan), after a brief tiff with Connor, helps him find a son that apparently was taken prisoner. So another quest begins.
The second act packs the same amount of emotional punch as the first, though I do have a problem with timing, amongst other things. It seems that in a World War I-era world, it would be difficult and time consuming to get from Australia to Greece. The time lapse for traveling is so minimal that it doesn’t truly take into account what might have happened to Connor’s final son, nor does it take into account time in general. Connor will have wasted a good portion of his year just getting there in this time period. It feels like an overnight travel on a plane. Anyway, it really isn’t addressed well.
On top of this, Connor’s discovery of his sons, while certainly impactful when he discovers their bodies and how they died, it’s a bit goofy because of the methods. He can find water, but how can he use his water methods to find his sons? It was a bit of a copout and felt like Crowe had nothing else to go with in the story. Again, the emotional value is there with the moment, but the methods are just a bit weird. It doesn’t get in the way of Connor’s next step, but it makes you roll your eyes just a bit.
Anyway, with the discovery that one of his sons is possibly alive as a prisoner, Connor sets his sights on going to retrieve his son, no matter the cost. I can say that the third act throws a lot in the face of Connor and springs forth some strong characters and depth through its methods. The third act treats everyone properly, ends the story on a very high note and let’s the world know that not all is lost — no matter Connor’s losses. The Water Diviner ends strong and shows that when Crowe is put in the right character and that character in the right story, great things can happen.
Overall, The Water Diviner delivers on emotion, characters to connect with and a piece of World War I history that helps to put into perspective how tragic things were during the Great War. This movie isn’t perfect by any means, but it’s definitely good enough for an inspirational rush.
On the Blu-ray side of things, this movie was pretty (bleeping) perfect. Not a single flaw is to be found in this picture. No graininess, no artifacts, no imperfections at all. It’s one of the most gorgeous films that Warner Home Video has released, and that’s saying something when you look back at their track record (lots of good competition). The locations where this was shot and the costumes, backdrops and whatnot lend well to the HD format. Seriously, this is a beautiful film on Blu-ray.
In terms of special features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– The Making of The Water Diviner
– The Battle of Gallipoli
Not a lot here, but enough to keep the mood of the film going. I’m happy to see a ‘making of’ feature, as most Blu-rays these days don’t give those type of things the time of day (if you’re not a Peter Jackson film). The second featurette provides additional perspective to the Gallipoli conflict. Brutal stuff.
Anyway, good special features, even though there aren’t an abundant.
Own “The Water Diviner” now on Digital HD or on Blu-ray or DVD July 28th
