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OPENS 26 Dec (Australia) 3 April (UK)
Russel Crowe's directing debut was nothing but stunning. The Water Diviner, an Australian made film that will make you reconsider what you thought of Australian film, is the story of a father trying to recover his sons bodies from the battle fields of Gallipoli so they can be buried at home as he had promised his now deceased wife. The film is deep in symbolism and story telling and as he did in Lord of the Rings Andrew Lesnie shows he has a great knack of portraying beauty in landscapes when it comes to cinematography.
At it's heart The Water Diviner is a story about the grief and loss of war but proves that when it really comes down to it no one really wins at war despite the opening scenes that see Turkish soldiers rejoicing as Australian fleets leave the shores of Gallipoli. When Crowe's character (Joshua Connor) meets the men responsible for his sons death's and eventually comes to view them as friends the film reveals the power of forgiveness had has the same kind of air as 'The Railway Man' in which Colin Firth becomes friends with man who tortured him during WW2. The film becomes an exploration of Turkish culture and respectful dissertation that the Turks were losers too.
The beautiful scenes of modern day Turkey make the flashbacks to the darkness of the battlefield even more poignant. The switch from faultless, water colour feel Turkey to dark and grainy battlefield is textbook but it's definitely effective. Each time the switch occurs you feel your heart sink as you prepare for death, sickness, and the screams of dying soldiers.
There are problems with the film such as the annoying slow motion scenes that seem completely without purpose. The love interest in the Turkish hotel was also an annoying element that seemed unnecessary and these were the parts I found most boring as they added nothing to the parts of the film that were so well constructed and portrayed. I felt the film had a very rushed ending. Not in that I wanted to know more at the end but I felt the final few scenes were rushed through.
However, it is all grounded in Crowe's strong performance and a reminder of the power cinema can have on emotions when everything is so in sync as it is here.
Have you seen the film? What did you think and what other films should I go and see soon?
Until Friday,
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