The Water Diviner

Right from the beginning, Russel Crowe's directorial debut, THE WATER DIVINER, is already sweeping with unfathomable amount of emotions, gathering affection the moment it flashes grim representations of war and what follows at its heels. From there, it treads through compassionate subjects of ambitious scale, stumbling upon its own entanglements at times, but gets saved by towering affectionate performances from its actors.

The film follows the story of miraculous farmer (he knows where to find water underneath the arid earth) Joshua Connor (Crowe), whose three sons were sent to the war in Turkey. Years later and none of them has ever come home. His wife mourns over their presumed death, and succumbs to fatal depression. Swearing at his wife's grave to bring their sons' remains home, Connor voyages to Turkey, not even knowing what exactly to expect and see.

There is much to admire in Crowe for helming such historical romance, teeming with bold themes about love, family, and war. His directorial inexperience screams with some odd choices he made, like the forced romance between Connor and Olga Kurylenko's widow character, and the mostly ill-woven narrative his screenwriters knitted, but the sentimental performances of his actors and himself, are overwhelming enough to make up for the narrative inconsistencies. These solid heart-shattering performances summon the affection they truly deserve, and make the film, amid of its script's evident flaws, able to relay its sincere intentions, to the audience. Also a key factor for its effective delivery, is an exquisite cinematography that is able to capture the dreadfulness of the war, the sorrow of a grieving and longing father, and the breathtaking sceneries of countryside Australia, assuming incredibly toned palettes that shifts along the landscapes of the story.

This movie could have been perfect with an excellently-written script, but considering it's just Crowe's first directorial assignment, I'd say this is one hell of an epic job. Sincere, heart-wrenching, and beautifully-acted, THE WATER DIVINER, packs an incredible wallop of searing emotions, sending the most striking of sentiments, despite the faults in its storytelling.

First of all, I am neither Australian nor Turkish. I'm from Rio, as far away as it can get from either country - not only in terms of geography, but also, and most importantly, in culture. I enjoyed "The Water Diviner" enormously nonetheless (watched it in Mediterranean Turkey on a trip), for this jewel of a movie is built upon universal themes of common appeal to our shared humankind.

This is the first film from an English-speaking country with a huge budget and world-famous actors that thoroughly succeeds in overcoming jingoism and achieving a perfectly harmonious, cross- culture balance of fairness that I have ever watched in my entire life.

The story has an amazing soul, a mesmerizing spiritual power, and a refreshing perspective on History. As a scholar of History, I'd say it treats a noble Turkish nation victim of absolutely unprovoked aggression from all sides during World War I with long-overdue justice after a 100 years, while retaining the dignity of ANZAC soldiers who fought with great bravery and loyalty for a dubious British cause.

"The Water Diviner" is not only a cinematographic masterpiece of rare beauty. It is a powerful statement of tolerance, a testimony of endless hope and love.

Russell Crowe has absolutely outdone himself with this film; it had me entranced from the start. Beautifully shot, amazing casting and the time and effort put into the making of this film really shone through. I feel the costumers deserve an Oscar nomination for this one - everything was spot on which for a period drama is almost impossible:) Flawless casting and great character development leads the viewer through the story; this film will bring out emotions and provoke thought. I loved the perspective of the film; it is an exceptional sensitive retelling of an historical story from both perspectives and I think this is one of the absolute highlights of this film.

See it - you won't be disappointed!Take the tissues though...

If this is Russell Crowe's first film I can't wait to see what is to come. The Water Diviner takes you an an impossible, heart warming journey of a father looking for his sons after the tragedy of Gallipoli. What this film does well is captures both sides of the battle, the Turkish and the ANZAC's. It is visually stunning, emotionally charged and does more than most movies to pry open your empathetic side.

The cast are amazing but I think my praise would have to go to Ryan Corr, Yilmaz Erdogen and Olga Kurylenko for three beautiful performances. All three of them aid Crowe's performance in a highly emotional way and create depth and love within the film.

I highly recommend giving this film a go if you appreciate a film with a good story and good talent and I hope it receives the praise and attention it deserves. It is definitely worth the watch.

Not going to give it 10 out of 10 stars, because you should always save your 10. However, this movie is close to perfect. Very loosely based on what might have been a true story (a war record that mentioned that 'only one father came looking for his sons' at Gallipoli after the war). Really well acted. The war scenes conveyed some of the horror without being gratuitous in the violence or gore. There was some shown, but only briefly, and really just enough to set the scenes. The movie is well- paced, well edited and doesn't drag. The lead actors (including the young Turkish boy) were all perfectly cast. At the start of the 100th anniversary year of the Gallipoli landings, this is a story that was well worth telling. Great job, Russell Crowe.