The Water Diviner Review
RYAN: Marking the directorial debut of Russell Crowe, this movie sis packed with so much passion, you can easily see why the story moved him to want to helm – and star – in it. It’s a very transformative journey for his character, Joshua Connor.
CAROLINE: He’s really is very talented and it’s cool to see his first film is an Australian story as well.
RYAN: It’s quite an epic story, with sweeping landscapes of Australia and Turkey. The cinematography and art direction are breathtaking and the film has already won Best Picture at the Aussie -equivalent of the Oscars.
CAROLINE: Wow. Is it that good?
RYAN: What I find most interesting in this movie was the balancing between two themes. It’s equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful and they really balance each other out and it’s almost a metaphor for life; how we have to deal with the highs and the lows and they all blend together. Russell’s character goes on a life-changing journey in this film. It could almost be viewed as the dude version of Eat, Pray, Love.
CAROLINE: (laughs) I highly doubt that’s what he was going for.
RYAN: Me too. But I’m just saying for comparison’s sake. Actually if anything, this movie gave me a bit of an Indiana Jones vibe – it’s not an action movie by any means, but it’s like a serious, grounded, real adventure. And he just kinda looks Indy-ish with a hat on sometimes.
CAROLINE: Ha. I get that. Is this based on a true story?
RYAN: No. I think it is reportedly inspired by a statement which the full story blossomed out of. The visuals are so strong in this film. It’s amazing how much storytelling can be accomplished without any dialogue. There’s a scene early on in the film that gave me the chills – just by set design and cinematography… it was very powerful.
CAROLINE: Sounds cool. Which war is this about?
RYAN: His character’s three sons go off to fight in the battle of Gallipoli.
CAROLINE: Do you like Russell?
RYAN: I do. I’ve always enjoyed him. I even like him in Les Miz when many people don’t. What I like about his performance in this film is he’s a very strong man but he is layered and complex and you see some vulnerabilities and how driven by love he is. It’s also about loyalty and family.
CAROLINE: How were the war scenes?
RYAN: There’s some gore and brutality which is always difficult to watch. And some of the sound design is also hard to listen to but contributes to the disturbing, harsh reality of war.
CAROLINE: Yeah that can always be tough to watch.
RYAN: Interestingly, there’s also a bit of mysticism in this film – very lightly but there’s a brief romantic subplot that has a mystical quality to it that I just loved. It really strengthens and already strong story. This is a serious drama and it really runs the gamut of emotions.
