The Water Diviner (2015) * * *

Directed by:  Russell Crowe

Starring:  Russell Crowe, Jai Courtney, Olga Kurylenko, Dylan Georgiades

The Water Diviner stars Russell Crowe (in his directorial debut) as a man who travels from his native Australia to the battlefield of Gallipoli to find and bury his three sons who died there.     This is thankfully not as depressing as it sounds.     Crowe does not bog the story down in hopeless anguish and pain, but sees a way for healing and even prosperity in the face of such loss.     It has an unexpected feel of hope in the midst of what is an agonizing journey for Crowe's Joshua Connor.

The Battle of Gallipoli (fought from April 2015-January 2016) was one of the bloodiest battles in World War I.     Thousands died, including Connor's three sons, who joined the Australian army in defense of God, king, and country.     Connor blames himself for his sons' battlefield death, which is depicted in heartbreaking fashion, and also for his wife's suicide.     She could not bear the passing of her children.    Connor promises to return the bodies to his farm for a proper burial before she takes her own life unexpectedly.

So far, The Water Diviner sounds like a downer.    A real one-note downer, but Connor travels to Turkey to begin his quest and becomes friendly with an innkeeper (Kurylenko) and her son, who scours the ports and train stations for business.     This budding friendship (and eventual romance) with Kurylenko is just what the doctor ordered for Connor, who can at least see some light at the end of the tunnel.    And so do we.

The relentless, daunting quest to find the bodies of his sons is at first a nuisance to the Australian soldiers occupying the land.    Inspired by Connor's tenacity, they help him find two of the sons.    Where is the third one?    Unfortunately, the trailers made the third son's fate abundantly clear, which is a pity because it robs the development of its power.     Blame the advertising geniuses for that blunder, not Crowe.      I won't spoil it for you.    But, it does add another layer of optimism. 

Crowe takes a story that seems like a slog at first glance and moves it along with confidence.    Sometimes movie love stories are shoehorned in and prove to be an ungainly fit.    Not here.    Crowe and Kurylenko are smart and appealing, both looking for a measure of happiness in their situations.     The movie isn't all earnest and deep.    It allows its characters to see their way through to the other side.    Crowe is, of course, a superb actor.    The Water Diviner shows that he can direct in the event the acting thing doesn't work out for him.