Review
The Water Diviner (Drama, History) (2014)
Director: Russell Crowe
Writer: Andrew Knight, Andrew Anastasios
Stars: Russell Crowe, Yilmaz Erdogan, Jai Courtney, Olga Kurylenko
An Australian farmer and water diviner travels to Turkey, four years after the Battle of Gallipoli has concluded, to search for his presumed-dead sons who fought in the war.
Serving as Crowe's feature film debut and, as of 2025, one of only two directed features, "The Water Diviner" tells the story of a special journey inspired by a letter written by a lieutenant-colonel working in the Imperial War Graves unit, which mentioned a father travelling to find his son's grave. Unable to verify this information, Crowe and the writers of this screenplay were granted the freedom to form a narrative all their own. It was produced by RatPac Entertainment, Seven Network Australia, Hopscotch Features, and Fear of God Films, while being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Entertainment One, and Universal Pictures.
Shortly after the 1st World War has ended, Joshua Connor (Russel Crowe) labours back at his farm in Australia, afflicted by the knowledge that his three sons likely perished in the Gallipoli campaign. His wife is worse off, unable to carry the grievous weight of losing her boys. Unable to carry on, not knowing what their fate is, and where they may lie, Joshua travels to Turkey on a purposeful journey, determined to give his sons a rightful burial and bring them home.
An emotional piece, filled with the hardships of war and its impact on those left behind. Crowe has an unpolished gem in his hands with this film, showing the audience another side to a brutal military campaign—which leaves many Australian families still bearing the scars to this day.
Back in Australia, after The Great War has ended, a hard-working father is seen divining for water, carrying the scars of guilt for sending his sons to the battlefront. The sun's impendent rays are as harsh as the trauma inflicted. As the world slowly keeps taking everything Joshua once held dear, in an act of defiance, he makes his way to Turkey, where his sons have presumably died. Grief, trauma, and pure will combine into a genuinely human tale of a father who loves his children, even if they're relegated to a memory of a brutal war that is still imprinted on the psychology of many of its families' survivors.
Apparent from the outset that this isn't a traditional war film; it shows the trauma of the aftermath, sprinkled with scenes of the battle in question. What this unusual perspective brings is a post-war experience with humanising features, even if you despise the actions during war, particularly those of the Ottomans. "The Water Diviner" approaches everyone as people, not heartless monsters. Maybe it approaches the connections made by Crowe's Joshua too easily, as at times it turns into a light adventure film, contrasted with heartrending flashbacks and the emotion they evoke. That emotion within the performances was perhaps stale, with Crowe not quite selling everything he could've, yet it fits the era and societal stigma.
Taking each aspect of Crowe's film together, it's quite a feat, telling an unusual tale about war and its consequences. It's the individual parts that feel shoehorned in, and those take away from the overall experience. It's a precarious balance between light-heartedness, around the hotel Joshua stays at, for example, and emotionally wrenching flashbacks to the war. Even if Crowe has only directed one feature film after this, I still hope for a rejuvenation on that front, as he may find the waters of inspiration buried deep below.
Verdict
War will always be a well of inspiration, and "The Water Diviner" proves it.
6,5
