There have been countless films and television shows that explore accounts of battlefield heroism in World War II, but one of the more neglected aspects of this era in history is the plight faced by prisoners of war. In the Pacific Theater of the conflict, many Allied forces were captured by the Japanese Army and forced to do grueling construction work. Although the specifics of their treatment are often too upsetting to showcase in a visceral way,The Narrow Road to the Deep Northis a sweeping historical epic aboutan Australian doctor captured by the Japaneseduring the end of the war, and was based on the novel of the same name byRichard Flanagan.
Directed in its entirety by acclaimed filmmakerJustin Kurzel,The Narrow Road to the Deep NorthstarsJacob Elordias Dorrigo Evans, whose love affair with Amy Mulvaney (Odessa Young) is disrupted when he enlists to join the Australian Imperial Force. The series also utilizes flashforwards to a later point in the timeline, in whichCiaran Hindsportrays an older version of Dorrigo who is left to reflect on the traumathat the war has left behind. Although Flanagan’s novel is fictional,The Narrow Road to the Deep Northwas inspired by several real heroes and legitimate eventsthat took place towards the end of World War II.
Flanagan drew inspiration forthe character of Dorrigo from his father, who had also grown up in Tasmania as the descendant of Irish immigrants. During his service, Flanagan’s father was captured by the Japanese and forced to work construction as part of the Burma Death Railway in Thailand in 1943. Known for its brutal working conditions, the Burma Death Railway was designed to help stage a planned invasion of India, which never occurred due to the Allied victory. The working camps were directed by violent guards who inflicted physical and emotional torture upon their workers, and sought to “dehumanize” them by stripping them of their patriotic ideals. The account of Flanagan’s father was a valuable asset in ensuring thatThe Narrow Road to the Deep Northwas as accurate as possible, as a majority of the men who worked in the camps died either during their imprisonment or in the direct aftermathdue to physical wounds or psychological trauma.
Dorrigo’s character was also inspiredby the Australian war hero Weary Dunlop,an Australian Army doctor who was also forced to serve in the camps. Like Dorrigo, Dunlop became a valuable asset to the Japanese Army because of his advanced medical skills, which allowed him to perform high-risk procedures, despite the lack of resources that he was given. As he won the respect of senior members of the Japanese Army, Dunlop used his influence to help barter for the lives of many of his fellow brothers-in-arms, arguing that it would be impossible to achieve the railway’s construction if the guards did not “preserve the men.”Dunlop’s survival also allowed himto place a global spotlight on the atrocities committed in the camps, and how many of the guards employed were sadists who took pleasure in breaking the spirits of their prisoners.
The Narrow Road to the Deep Northexplores the legitimate ramifications of the war, including the extent to which the survivors of the campsfaced serious mental health issuesas a result of their trauma; in the series, Dorrigo is only able to open up about what he experienced many years after the war. Although many of the commanding officers tasked with handling the Burma Death Railway were convicted for their crimes against humanity, the consequences did not extended to all the guards that participated in the torture, as many were able to escape justice by fleeing to Tokyo; this is reflected in the series, as Major Nakamura (Show Kasamatsu) ultimately does not receive punishment for the horrors of Dorrigo’s experience.
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This version created a more emotional, visceral depiction of survivalism.
The Narrow Road to the Deep Northdepicts the Battle of Java,a critical conflict in 1942, in which the Japanese Army overwhelmed Allied forces stationed in the Dutch East Indies. Despite the combined power of the militaries of the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and the Netherlands, the Japanese forced the Allies to surrender at the Japanese headquarters at Bandung, taking many men captive as prisoners of war.The critical victory for Japanresulted in a larger seaward expansion across the Indian Ocean and became renowned as one of the bloodiest eras of the Pacific Theater of Combat. Although this is a conflict that was previously depicted on television in an episode of the excellent HBO miniseriesThe Pacific,The Narrow Road to the Deep Northis able to focus its approach on the immediate aftermath, as it does not devote as much time to the broader military strategy.
The Narrow Road to the Deep Northdepicts many of the techniques used by Japanese guards during the construction, including their attempt to break the bonds of camaraderie that were developed between the prisoners. “Mateship,” an Australian value of fellowship within a community, is seen as a risk by the Japanese, who employed techniques in which the collective was punished if some of the prisoners underperformed as a result of injuries. Some prisoners were viciously beaten to death, and the series depicts one instance in which the guards force one of their prisoners to beat another to death over the course of a long night. During the flashes later on in his life, the older Dorrigo expresses feelings of “survivor’s guilt,” as he is ashamed that he was not able to save more lives; like many of his fellow survivors, he feels that he doesnot deserve to be hailed as a hero, as part of his humanity was lost in Thailand. While by no means an easy watch,The Narrow Road to the Deep Northis too filled with authenticity to ever be accused of being in poor taste.
The Narrow Road to the Deep Northis currently available to stream on Prime Video.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
