Up to a point, authenticity is in the eye of the beholder – certainly when it comes to dramatised depictions of events from more than a century ago. The script ofis said to be based on actual diaries kept by Anzacs, and it could be that the film’s straightforward, even naive approach conveys something truthful about how it felt in those days to be a young man going off to war.
To start with, for all the effort that has gone into digging trenches and sourcing uniforms, I was never entirely persuaded that the heroes were fighting on the Western Front. While the action spans several years, the topography is suspiciously unvaried. Nor do the trees on the horizon appear especially European, though I admit that from a distance it’s hard to be sure.
An idealistic lad from a Western Australian sheep station, Jim is determined to do his bit for the war effort, signing up against the will of his frowning dad . Before leaving, he promises he’ll be back home within six months: what follows tracks his gradual loss of illusions, or so we’re meant to think.