A new war drama has hit our screens, and fans are describing it as the “best series of the year”. The Narrow Road to the Deep North is a drama miniseries, based on the novel of the same name by Richard Flanagan. It was written by Shaun Grant and directed by Justin Kurzel and stars Jacob Elordi, Odessa Young, and Ciarán Hinds.
The series’ synopsis reads: “The story of Dorrigo Evans, an army surgeon whose short but forbidden affair with his uncle’s wife sustains and haunts him through his darkest days in a Thai-Burmese prisoner of war camp in WW2. The series follows Dorrigo Evans across three periods: before his deployment to the Second World War, during his time as a Far East prisoner of war, and several decades after the war. Each period reveals different parts of Dorrigo’s love affair with his aunt, Amy.”
The Narrow Road to the Deep North was initially released on Amazon Prime and instantly met with critical acclaim. It has a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and the critics have billed it as a “masterpiece”.
The critics state: “A difficult watch made riveting by director Justin Kurzel and star Jacob Elordi’s sterling work, The Narrow Road to the Deep North chronicles the inhumanity of war with fierce intelligence.”
One critic said: “This series is terrific and on occasion magnificent. Its ability to tell a sprawling, epic story over three timelines in five shortish episodes and tell us something new about a war is commendable.”
Another praised Elordi’s performance, stating: “The performances are outstanding, with Elordi a star in the making and Hinds, the elder statesman of the piece, his usual subtle self.”
“A stunning adaptation of a celebrated novel about a man struggling with horrendous wartime memories and the loss of love, that explores the best and worst of our humanity,” a third added.
An audience reviewer said: “Absolute masterpiece. Made me feel every strand of emotion in my being. Outstanding acting by Elordi too. Wow. Just wow.”
Another described it as the “best series of the year”.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.