Film Review
Joshua Connor longed to steer
his three boys to manhood. Now,
years after they departed for the
Battle in Gallipoli, he struggles to
face the reality of why they never
returned home. In order to bless
the graveside promise of his wife,
Joshua, otherwise known in the
real world as Russell Crowe,
leaves Australia on an arduous
journey to reach the remnants of
his three lost sons. The source
of accomplishment in Joshua’s
journey lies within his water divining abilities, revealing his tendencies to sense the whereabouts of
things, and even people.
The emotional process of watching ‘The Water Diviner’ can only be compared to the unfortunate
inconvenience of falling over in the street; you’ll be walking along happily and suddenly you’ll fall
over and be rather sad. You might even cry. Then you’ll laugh because someone makes a lighthearted joke, but you’re bound to cry one more time later, just because it’s painful to remember.
It’s pretty much the same process, only you’re lucky enough to be sitting down watching the film,
rather than falling over in the street.
‘The Water Diviner’ visually defines the meaning of ‘picturesque’. From the vibrant and richlycultured market streets of Istanbul, to the gravely detailed war scenes of the Battle of Gallipoli,
the immaculate scenery contributes to the compassionate and warm-hearted nature of the
film. Such stunning portrayal of landscapes may have something to do with the Oscar-winning
cinematographer, Andrew Lesnie, who is responsible for similar drowsy-looking battle scenes and
contrasting energetic backdrops in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The juxtaposition of light and dark
scenery is effective in its use, accentuating both the vividness of war, whilst perfecting emotions
of happiness through the spirited, blue skies of few Australian landscapes, and many Turkish
wastelands.
The story is inspired by true events, and this may have had a greater impact on the realness of
emotions portrayed by the main cast. Crowe (Gladiator, Beautiful minds) does well to reveal a
softer side to his character through the meeting of
his new love-interest, played by Olga Kurylenko
CLINICA DENTAL
(Quantum of Solace). The romance aspect of
the film slightly downplays the emotive impact
of various other scenes, adding an angle of
light-heartedness which has the capability to
undermine the film’s seriousness. Nevertheless,
romance is always necessary to avoid the cause
of too much misery and depression.
Dr Victoria Garbarino
‘The Water Diviner’ has an outstanding rating
Dr Eric Geerlings
which goes above and beyond the expectations
English, Spanish and Dutch Spoken
of any regular film with any ordinary or mediocre
storyline. The film’s projection of Gallipoli’s cultural
history is admirably executed, luring in even the
most hardened haters of the dreaded subject of
www.clinicadentalgeerlings.es history.
GEERLINGS
BONALBA
Telephone: 965 959 714
Megan Parker
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