Review of The Water Diviner (2014) by Ahnehnois — 25 Apr 2015

It is a beautiful and intriguing film, but narratively muddled and with a few missteps.

The locations are excellent, as is most of the cast, especially the Turkish actors. It stands out though, that while most of the Aussies and Turks are played by native actors, the female lead is clearly not. It sabotages the film, because the script is trying to tell you that she's part of the Turkish culture and is fighting tradition, but it doesn't feel right at all when she's the only outsider in the dance party. The romantic aspect of the film feels really unnatural and forced as a consequence.

It's also odd that the film is titled The Water Diviner, as the titular character's habit of dowsing is both unscientific and irrelevant to the narrative. The film opens with a suicide, which is confusingly presented. A lot of the film is confusing, really, if you don't understand the history.

But the battle scenes are compelling, and the post-battle scenes where bodies are being buried are equally so. The relations between the Turks and their former foes are nuanced and entertaining, and those performances are excellent. Also, the Aussies' hats are so absurdly ostentatious they just have to be real.

At the end, there's a bit of an unsatisfying "eh", but the picture of post-war Turkey leading up to it is worth seeing.