"You can find water but you can't find your own boys?"

Rating: 7/10 (26 April 2015)

"The Water Diviner" (2014 release from Australia; 111 min.) brings the story of Joshua Conner (played by Russell Crowe) and his family. As the movie opens, we are reminded that the movie is "inspired by true events". We are transported to December 20, 1915 to the Battle of Gallipoli, where the Turks are overpowering the ANZACs. We then switch to "North Western Victoria", where we see Conor looking for, and finding water (and building a well). At dinner time, Connor's wife is resentful. "You can find water, but you can't find your own kids?", she hisses. Shortly thereafter, she drowns in the lake near the house. After the burial, Connor decides to go to Turkey to look for his three sons, whom he urged to fight "for flag and country" and who are presumed dead. At this point we're just 15 min. into the movie but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Several comments: first, it is remarkable that it has taken this long, but this movie marks the directing debut of Russell Crowe. Why he hasn't taken this up sooner, I don't know, but better late than never. Second, the movie makes an almost critical error by not giving a brief historical background note at the beginning of the movie. Do you know who the ANZACs are, and why Australian soldiers ended up fighting in Turkey 100 years ago? I sure didn't. I picked up bits and pieces along the way as the movie unfolded but still, I felt that was an oversight that could've been easily avoided. Third, the script does a good job in providing flashbacks of the Gallipoli battle which eventually reveal what happened to the Connor boys. At the same time, while the movie is "inspired" by true events, let's be honest here and just say it outright: this is a historical fictional drama, and quite entertaining, but fictional nevertheless. Last but not least, Crowe leads a cast of mostly unknowns (for me anyway). The little boy who leads Connor to finding a hotel in Istanbul is just delightful, and the little boy's mother is stunningly beautiful. Bottom line: this movie makes for an enjoyable and entertaining historical drama (it won Best Picture at the Australian version of the Oscars this year).
The movie finally opened this weekend on two screens for all of Greater Cincinnati. The matinée screening where I saw this at was attended okay, and it seemed that the audience was really enjoying the movie quite a bit. This isn't going to see the box office on fire here in the US, but it's a nicely made movie, showing a softer side of Russell Crowe as well as demonstrating that the man certainly knows hoe to direct a movie. If you are into historical dramas, you cannot go wrong with this. Definitely worth check out, be it in the theater, on Amazon Instant Video or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.