The Water Diviner (2014)

An Australian man travels to Turkey after the Battle of Gallipoli to try and locate his three missing sons.

Director:

Russell Crowe

Writers:

Andrew Knight, Andrew Anastasios

Stars:

Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Jai Courtney

14 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Russell Crowe	...	Connor
Olga Kurylenko	...	Ayshe
Yilmaz Erdogan	...	Major Hasan
Cem Yilmaz	...	Sgt. Jemal
Jai Courtney	...	Lt Colonel Hughes
Dylan Jett Georgiades	...	Orhan (as Dylan Georgiades)
Steve Bastoni	...	Omer
Isabel Lucas	...	Natalia
Salih Kalyon	...	Dr. Ibrahim
Megan Gale	...	Fatma
Ryan Corr	...	Art
James Fraser	...	Edward
Ben O'Toole	...	Henry
Jacqueline McKenzie	...	Eliza
Jack Patterson	...	Young Art

Storyline

After the Battle of Gallipoli, in 1915, an Australian farmer, Connor (Russell Crowe), travels to Turkey to find his 3 missing sons. While staying at a hotel in Istanbul, he meets Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), the hotel manager. And tries to find a way to Gallipoli.

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Plot Keywords:

world war one | gallipoli | australian | battle of gallipoli | denial of armenian genocide | 

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Taglines:

To honour a promise. To find his sons. To make his peace.

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for war violence including some disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook [Turkey]

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English Turkish Greek Russian

Release Date:

26 December 2014 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Camino a Estambul

Filming Locations:

Burra, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$22,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,220,335, 26 April 2015

Gross USA:

$4,196,641

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$38,176,317

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fear of God Films, Hopscotch Features, RatPac Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though Joshua Connor (Russell Crowe)'s own sons are gone, in Turkey, he finds something of a surrogate child in Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko)'s son, Orhan (Dylan Georgiades), who, in turn, "is desperate for a father figure", said actor-director Crowe. "Joshua comes along and listens to his stories and keeps secrets with him. He's everything Orhan needs right now." Orhan also helps forge the relationship between his mother and Joshua. "For Ayshe, it's all about her son", Kurylenko stated. "Orhan is the reason she goes from not wanting Joshua in her hotel to looking at him with new eyes. He shows genuine affection for her child and is also very respectful to her father. And he is very sincere, which eventually gains Ayshe's trust."

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Goofs

The coffee cup that he drank out of was not made until 1955 at least, as it was made by the Belleek factory and the back stamp on it relates it to between 1955-1965.

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Quotes

Connor: Are there any more records about my son?
Jemal: We are Ottomans, not Germans.

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Connections

Featured in Late Night with Seth Meyers: Russell Crowe/Seann William Scott/Emily Heller/Jeremy Gara (2015)

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Soundtracks

Newton's Cradle
Performed by Ludovico Einaudi (as Ludivico Einaudi), Piano, Celesta & Loops
Written by Ludovico Einaudi (as Ludivico Einaudi)
From the project 'The Elements'
Produced by Fondazione Musica per Roma
Courtesy of Universal Music
Publisher: Chester Music Ltd

User Reviews

Reasonably promising premise which ultimately falls short

Set in 1919 The Water Diviner tells the story of an Australian father of three young men all of whom have enlisted with the ANZAC's in the Gallipoli campaign in World War 1. Subsequent to the battle in which the Allied forces were defeated all three have failed to return home and are now presumed dead. Joshua Connor (Russell Crowe) their father, a Victorian Outback farmer with a gift for divining water makes a promise to his wife to bring them home and heads off on a quest to Gallipoli to find them.

This is the reasonably promising premise laid out in the first 20 minutes of the film. I didn't envisage a swash-buckle fest at this stage; nor is it true to say it becomes this, but the film does veer in that direction once or twice over the ensuing hour and thirty minutes. It seems like a betrayal of the seriousness of the subject matter because of this.

The Water Diviner is relatively entertaining but it falls short of what I was hoping for and I think this is because it neither all-out delivers as a full on ravages of war redemption story or as an all- out high-spirited adventure. Having said that some of the battle- scenes (shot in flashback) are unflinching and are probably the best scenes in the film.

The cinematography is beautiful to the eye but the end effect here is that it feels too sanitised at times. There are other things that rankle as well- a burgeoning love story which comes over as too shoe-horned and heavy handed for my liking and in my view steals the central story of its import. There are two scenes in particular where the viewer is required to make the jump from believing in the power of the diviners hand to believing in altogether more mystical powers or insights divined by the same hand (also to do with powers of location). Another thing to watch out for; the film plays host to a stock character or two- witness the very officious English officer who speaks in stereotypical clipped tones, previously seen in countless other films.