Director: Russell Crowe Starring: Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko Writers: Andrew Knight, Andrew Anastasios | 3.5/5 The Water Diviner In 1981, the great Peter Weir attempted to make a film about the Battle of Gallipoli, in which British and Australian troops stormed Turkish lands during WW1. He failed. His film meandered and was a glorified odd-couple movie where Mel Gibson spent most of the running time playing ball and walking through the desert. Now, thirty-four years later, first-time director Russell Crowe finally gives us the Gallipoli movie we deserve. The Water Diviner, about a man driven to find his three presumed-dead sons, is not a perfect film. In fact, you may need more than two hands to count the problems, but it has one redeeming quality: it is fiercely emotional, especially in its climax. I will take emotion over technical proficiency any day. The driven man’s name is Connor (Crowe), a farmer in the Australian desert with the ability to feel and pinpoint water underneath the ground - the film's title is drawn from this gift. Connor begins the film searching for water, but it does not take long for him to set out on a mission to retrieve his missing sons after his mentally ill wife takes her own life out of grief. Crowe may make several rookie mistakes when it come to effective storytelling, but one thing he resists doing is milking the water diviner metaphor for more than its worth. The image of water and the idea of things hidden and waiting to be found are undoubtedly there, but Crowe lets you feel them out yourself. Smart move. |
I would love to sit here and talk about all the things the newbie director gets right, such as the film’s emotionally charged third act; but at the end of the day, I am a critic, which means we have to shine a light on some of the less effective aspects of the film. The biggest holdup is the middle section, which finds Connor staying at a hotel run by a lonely widow named Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko, fabulous and restrained), her brother-in-law Omer (Steve Bastoni), and son, Orhan (Dylan Georgiades). Two attractive, emotionally-vulnerable and newly-widowed adults find themselves caught in close quarters; you can probably guess what happens next. The love story would have been the highlight of a lesser film, but it is overshadowed by Connor’s touching journey to find his sons.
From this problem is born another - let’s call it a “sub-problem.” The two main plot threads that drive The Water Diviner - Connor’s search and the hotel romance - differ so drastically in terms of mood that it takes a minute to adjust when flopping between the two. It can feel a bit untrue to character watching Connor go mad with grief in one scene and then go romantic in the next.
It’s a good thing these problems are anchored by a killer performance from Crowe. The veteran actor may be new behind the camera, but no one will deny his skills in front of it. Without chewing a bit of scenery, Crowe plays Connor as a bruised and weary father on one final mission. His performance does not ooze heroism, valor, or duty. There’s only love there, and it is a thrill to see.
Sure, there are more problems I could talk about, such as the flashbacks of battle peppered throughout that feel like knocked off scenes from Saving Private Ryan - it does not help these scenes that other parts of the film feel like Dances With Wolves. I could go on, but I won’t. You may have to drive to New Orleans or Jackson (local readers), but the drive is worth it, if only to see a skilled actor try his hand at directing - and mostly succeeding.
From this problem is born another - let’s call it a “sub-problem.” The two main plot threads that drive The Water Diviner - Connor’s search and the hotel romance - differ so drastically in terms of mood that it takes a minute to adjust when flopping between the two. It can feel a bit untrue to character watching Connor go mad with grief in one scene and then go romantic in the next.
It’s a good thing these problems are anchored by a killer performance from Crowe. The veteran actor may be new behind the camera, but no one will deny his skills in front of it. Without chewing a bit of scenery, Crowe plays Connor as a bruised and weary father on one final mission. His performance does not ooze heroism, valor, or duty. There’s only love there, and it is a thrill to see.
Sure, there are more problems I could talk about, such as the flashbacks of battle peppered throughout that feel like knocked off scenes from Saving Private Ryan - it does not help these scenes that other parts of the film feel like Dances With Wolves. I could go on, but I won’t. You may have to drive to New Orleans or Jackson (local readers), but the drive is worth it, if only to see a skilled actor try his hand at directing - and mostly succeeding.