After the World War I Battle of Gallipoli, in 1919, an Australian farmer, Joshua Connor played by Russell Crowe, travels to Turkey to find his 3 missing sons. Uncertain of their fate, reported as missing in action, he promises his wife Eliza played by Jacqueline McKenzie, to bring their three boys’ home to Australia…no matter what it takes.
Russell Crowe's directorial debut, The Water Diviner, is an epic adventure set four years after the devastating 1915 World War I battle of Gallipoli. He is hoping to be able to recover his sons’ three bodies from the battlegrounds where so many lost their lives. This film depicts the events of Gallipoli from a unique angle with strong points of view from the Turkish perspective.
While staying at a hotel in Istanbul, he meets Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), the hotel manager. The two grow close as she finds herself becoming involved in Connor’s emotional quest. With the help of a Turkish Officer who is himself a veteran of the war, Connor travels across the war-torn landscape.
His crusade takes a shift when he learns that one of his sons was not killed in action, but taken prisoner during battle. With a glimmer of hope, Connor is more determined than ever to discover this sons’ fate.
The Water Diviner tells a tale of loss, love, family, hope and heroism.
Exploring the conflicted and unpredictable nature of war after the battle is over grants the viewer and entirely new context.
The Water Diviner is in Cinemas Now