Prime Video's New 100%-Rated Masterpiece Is the Best Historical Drama of the Year
Jacob Elordi traded the neon lights of Euphoria and the opulence of Saltburn for military fatigues in The Narrow Road to the Deep North – and delivered his best performance yet. Here's why critics gave the series a perfect score.
All five episodes of Justin Kurzel's miniseries The Narrow Road to the Deep North have been released on Amazon Prime Video. This is an adaptation of the Booker Prize-winning novel by Richard Flanagan.
This dark and melancholy epic, starring Jacob Elordi, is a must-see for all fans of historical drama.
What Is The Narrow Road to the Deep North About?
The action begins with the events of 1941, when a young Australian doctor, Dorrigo Evans, is captured with his unit during the Syrian campaign. Herded into stuffy train cars, they are sent to Thailand. There, under the supervision of Japanese officers, the prisoners pave the way for the railroad day after day.
Before the war, Dorrigo proposes to Ella, a woman from an influential family. But then he meets Amy, the young wife of Dorrigo's uncle, with whom he begins a forbidden affair.
In the third timeline, we see Dorrigo forty years later. Despite his seemingly prosperous life, memories of the past continue to haunt his soul.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North's Dorrigo Is One of Elordi's Best Roles
The creators did an impressive job of casting Jacob Elordi in the lead role. Once again, he brilliantly managed to portray a mysterious character whose true motives remain hidden. Such was his Felix in Saltburn, Elvis in Priscilla and Nate in Euphoria.
Elordi did an excellent job with the role of a POW tormented by guilt and ghosts of the past, proving once again that his talents extend far beyond the romantic hero.
Justin Kurzel's Series Is an Excellent Drama That Shows a Different Side of World War II
The series, like the book, is valuable because it shows World War II outside the usual perspective. The military events of 1940-1945 in Southeast Asia still remain outside the mass cultural consciousness.
In this sense, it is important that we are allowed to hear the Japanese officers.
They are not only cruel monsters, but also ideologically convinced people. According to one of them, this road is not just a military installation, but an artery that will spread all the wisdom of Japanese poetry.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North is an outstanding work, especially for a TV project. It is a serious and monumental series, and at the same time just one of the attempts to give meaning and form to the horrors of war.
What Did Viewers & Critics Think of The Narrow Road to the Deep North?
The Guardian critic Luke Buckmaster gave the series four out of five stars, saying:
“You never doubt the show's realism, or the compassion underpinning it. This is less about the theatre of war than the psychological stain it leaves.”
- The Narrow Road to the Deep North has 100% from critics and 63% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
- On IMDb, the series has a score of 7.2/10.
