The Water Diviner
An Australian man travels to Turkey after the Battle of Gallipoli to try and locate his three missing sons reported missing in action, where he forges a relationship with the beautiful Turkish woman who owns the hotel in which he stays. Holding onto hope, he must travel across the war-torn landscape with the help of a Turkish Officer, himself a veteran of the battles.
The film struggled financially against its respectable budget of $22.5M, earning $15.5M globally (-31% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its bold vision within the drama genre.
14 wins & 15 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Water Diviner (2014) exhibits meticulously timed plot construction, characteristic of Russell Crowe's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 10-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 52 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Connor uses his water divining gift on his Australian farm, living a quiet life haunted by the absence of his three sons who went to war. His wife mourns in silence, maintaining the boys' empty beds as shrines.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Connor's wife drowns herself in despair over their lost sons. This tragedy transforms his vague desire to honor his sons into an urgent mission: he must go to Turkey and find their bodies to bring them home, as he promised her.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The Collapse moment at 85 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Connor is captured and nearly executed as a spy during the Greek-Turkish conflict. He faces death far from home, seemingly having failed both his living son (if Arthur exists) and his dead sons (whose bodies remain unfound). All seems lost., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 90 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Connor finds Arthur alive in a prisoner camp, achieves closure about his other sons' deaths, and returns to Istanbul. He chooses to stay with Ayshe and build a new life rather than return to Australia, synthesizing his old identity with his new understanding., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Water Diviner's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 10 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping The Water Diviner against these established plot points, we can identify how Russell Crowe utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Water Diviner within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Connor uses his water divining gift on his Australian farm, living a quiet life haunted by the absence of his three sons who went to war. His wife mourns in silence, maintaining the boys' empty beds as shrines.
Theme
Connor's neighbor mentions that "some things are best left buried," foreshadowing the film's exploration of whether seeking closure through painful truths is worth the cost, or whether the dead should remain undisturbed.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of post-WWI rural Australia, the Connor family's grief over their three sons lost at Gallipoli, and Connor's promise to his wife to bring the boys home. His wife's suicide by drowning deepens his determination to fulfill this vow.
Disruption
Connor's wife drowns herself in despair over their lost sons. This tragedy transforms his vague desire to honor his sons into an urgent mission: he must go to Turkey and find their bodies to bring them home, as he promised her.
Resistance
Connor travels to Istanbul despite official discouragement from the Australian military bureaucracy. He navigates a foreign culture and language, finding resistance at every turn from officials who want to prevent families from searching the battlefields.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
Connor explores the Gallipoli battlefields with Turkish officer Major Hasan, who fought against the Anzacs. Using his divining abilities, Connor searches for his sons' remains while developing an unlikely friendship with his former enemy and a tentative romance with Ayshe.
Opposition
The Greek-Turkish war erupts around them. Connor pursues leads about Arthur while navigating combat zones, political tensions, and Hasan's divided loyalty between duty and friendship. The military and cultural forces work against Connor's quest.
Collapse
Connor is captured and nearly executed as a spy during the Greek-Turkish conflict. He faces death far from home, seemingly having failed both his living son (if Arthur exists) and his dead sons (whose bodies remain unfound). All seems lost.
Crisis
In captivity, Connor reflects on his failures as a father—sending his sons to war, being unable to save his wife, and now potentially dying without redemption. He must find meaning in his quest beyond simply recovering bodies.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Connor finds Arthur alive in a prisoner camp, achieves closure about his other sons' deaths, and returns to Istanbul. He chooses to stay with Ayshe and build a new life rather than return to Australia, synthesizing his old identity with his new understanding.