| The Narrow Road to the Deep North | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | |
| Based on | The Narrow Road to the Deep North byRichard Flanagan |
| Written by | Shaun Grant |
| Directed by | Justin Kurzel |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Alexandra Taussig |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | 18 April 2025 (2025-04-18) |
The Narrow Road to the Deep North is a 2025 Australiandrama miniseries based on thenovel of the same name byRichard Flanagan. It was written byShaun Grant, directed byJustin Kurzel and starsJacob Elordi,Odessa Young, andCiarán Hinds. The series follows Dorrigo Evans across three periods: before his deployment to the Second World War, during his time as aFar East prisoner of war, and several decades after the war. Each period reveals different parts of Dorrigo's love affair with his uncle’s new young wife, Amy. The series was released on Amazon Prime on 18 April 2025 to critical acclaim.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(August 2025) |
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Justin Kurzel | Shaun Grant | 18 April 2025 (2025-04-18) | |
The series follows Dorrigo Evans across three intercut timelines. In 1940, he is a young medical student in Australia who is preparing to ship out to war as a doctor. He asks his girlfriend Ella to marry him. Meanwhile, he meets his uncle Keith for the first time, and discovers he has a beautiful, much younger wife, Amy. In 1942, Dorrigo is a prisoner of war in a Japanese labor camp on theBurma Railway. In 1989, he is an old man, a renowned surgeon, and a celebrated war hero. He is interviewed by a journalist who asks him about his time in the war. He refuses to tell her about the reality of what he survived. His wife, Ella chides him. He later looks at the book he has been asked to write a forward to; sketches done in secret in thePOW camp by his friend Rabbit. In 1942 Dorrigo and his men endure the brutal journey to the site of the future railway. They meet Major Nakamura who tells them it is a great honour to build the railway forthe emperor. They begin the backbreaking work. In 1940, Dorrigo stays with his uncle Keith, and is entertained by Keith's young wife Amy. She asks him about hisfiancee Ella. They get drunk and share an embrace. | |||||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Justin Kurzel | Shaun Grant | 18 April 2025 (2025-04-18) | |
In 1989 Ella and Dorrigo host a charity event. Ella suspects Dorrigo is having an affair with his co-workers Rick's wife. In 1940, Dorrigo gets drunk with his uncle Keith and Amy, and later hears them having sex. Dorrigo and Amy swim together, and grow closer. In 1989, Dorrigo takes a risk in surgery which almost goes horribly wrong. His co-worker accuses him of being a butcher. In 1942, Rabbit is sketching the terrible conditions in which thePOW are living, and hiding the drawings. Dorrigo attempts to stand up to Major Nakamura when his men are too sick to work, but the Major will not listen. The POW are now mostly wearing rags and are visibly starving. The Major later asks his superior Colonel Kota for more men, and is refused. Sheephead Morton sees an opportunity to kill the Major, but is stopped by Darky who fears retribution. Tiny, who is suffering frommalaria, can barely walk. Dorrigo again approaches the Major, asking for basic supplies, or a day of rest for his men. Darky is punished by a guard nicknamed 'theGoanna' for folding his blanket the wrong way. Dorrigodebridestropical ulcers withmaggots. The Colonel and the Major drink together, then the Coloneldecapitates Tiny as the POW's watch, horrified. Dorrigo thinks of Amy. | |||||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Justin Kurzel | Shaun Grant | 18 April 2025 (2025-04-18) | |
In 1942, Dorrigo amputates Rainbow's leg using a meat saw due to spreadinggangrene. He dies on the table. The men try to thank him by stealing food from the Japanese for him but Dorrigo refuses to eat it. In 1989, Dorrigo is facing a medical inquiry about the surgery. Dorrigo faces his co-worker Rick, who turned him in to the medical council. Meanwhile, Dorrigo continues his affair with Rick’s wife. Dorrigo tells her that truly great surgeons are devoid of emotion. In 1940, Dorrigo, Keith and Amy spend a day crabbing. Keith praises Amy, while Amy is visibly uncomfortable. In 1989, Dorrigo meets with a Japanese delegation who gift him with Japanese poetry books, along with a formal apology from her country.In 1942, in the POW camp, the men get weaker and sicker as Dorrigo works to keep them alive. Darky steals supplies for the sick tent. Rabbit realises he is dying and tries to finish his drawings. Dorrigo feels helpless. The Japanese Major is taking drugs to keep himself awake and ‘help inspire fighting spirits’. Dorrigo asks for morphine and is told to use what he has, which is nothing. The Major speaks of poetry and the greatness of his mission. He compares what Japan is doing now to what the British empire did in the past. When he asks Dorrigo if he has someone at home waiting for him, he thinks of Amy, not his fiancee Ella. In 1940, Dorrigo visits Amy alone, and they begin to sleep together. In 1942 Rabbit has died and Dorrigo looks through his drawings. A watercolour of a flower reminds him of Amy. Dorrigo washes Rabbit's body, thencremates his friend. | |||||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Justin Kurzel | Shaun Grant | 18 April 2025 (2025-04-18) | |
In 1989, Ella knows she is not the love of Dorrigo's life, despite being his wife. In 1940, Dorrigo and Amy continue their love affair. Amy admits she almost had Keith's baby, but secretly had an abortion as she wasn't sure that she loved her husband. Dorrigo reads Amy poetry. They continue to hide their affair from Keith. Dorrigo tells Amy he is about to ship out to war, she is devastated. Amy's friends gossip about another couple having an affair, and Amy tries to defend the other woman's choices. Keith grows suspicious and confronts Amy. She denies the affair. Amy calls Dorrigo and tells him Keith knows about them. She tells him to go back to Ella and that she belongs to Keith. Dorrigo and Ella spend new years together, but they argue. In 1989, Ella tells Dorrigo she knows about his affairs, and accuses him of making her a hard person. In 1942, Dorrigo receives a letter from Ella in the POW camp and saves it to read later. Darky steals a syringe for Dorrigo and apologises he couldn't get more. Major Nakamura is ill with malaria. Darky is made the work parties leader for the day. On the trek to the worksite Darky severely injures his foot. The Goanna orders him to return to the sick tent. As he slowly crawls back, he comes across Rooster and Chum who have hidden in the jungle to have a rest. Darky scolds them saying the rest of the men will suffer due to their slacking. Rooster threatens Darky. At the end of the day, the Goanna realises two men were missing from the work party, but doesn't know which two. Darky finally manages to crawl back into the camp, and Dorrigo carries him in and stitches up his foot. Darky tells Dorrigo about his desire to free the live fish in his hometown's local fish shop, saying it is unnatural keeping them in a tank only to be killed. Dorrigo promises to help him if they make it back. Outside, the rest of the men are lined up and threatened to reveal who was missing, Rooster and Chum stay silent. The Major asks for the day's leader, and Darky is taken from the sick tent. The Goanna starts to beat Darky, yelling at him to reveal who was missing. Dorrigo hears his cries and tries to defend him, only to be forced to watch with the rest of the men. The Japanese guards continue to torture Darky as the rest of the men watch and say nothing. The beating continues late into the night, eventually killing Darky. Dorrigo washes Darky's body, and as dawn breaks he opens the letter from Ella. Inside is a newspaper clipping, reporting that Keith and Amy have died in a fire. | |||||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Justin Kurzel | Shaun Grant | 18 April 2025 (2025-04-18) | |
In 1942, the Major asks Dorrigo to choose 100 men to march to a different work camp 100km. They both know most of them will die on the journey. Dorrigo refuses, before finally relenting and choosing the men who still have boots, as their feet will be slightly more protected. One by one they shake Dorrigo's hand and thank him, knowing they will never see him again. Dorrigo watches them leave. In 1989, Keith's wife ends their affair, saying she has seen his nightmares and cannot look after him. In 1942, the railway is complete, and the surviving POW's watch as the Colonel officially opens the line. In 1946, Dorrigo and Ella marry. Dorrigo drinks onAnzac Day with his surviving men back in Australia. They break in to Darky's local fish shop, and return the fish to the sea. Back in Singapore, the Goanna is charged with war crimes over Darky's murder and is executed. The Major and the Colonel are in hiding. The Major fears that they may have done wrong in their treatment of the POW's, but the Colonel doesn't agree. In Australia, Dorrigo returns Rabbit's drawings to his wife. They have both lost the love of their lives. In 1989, Dorrigo and Ella reflect on their life together. Dorrigo tells Ella he thought he saw Amy after the war, but that it couldn't have been her. Dorrigo gives his speech at the book launch of Rabbit's drawings. He see the faces of those who did not survive around him as he reflects on the pointlessness of it all. Afterwards, Ella admits that Amy did not die in the fire. She tried to visit Dorrigo after the war, but found Ella with their baby instead. Dorrigo drives home remembering the moment he saw Amy, now realising it was really her. His car is struck at an intersection and he lies on the road, his final vision is a return to the jungle. | |||||
In March 2018,Fremantle acquired rights toNarrow Road to the Deep North byRichard Flanagan, to adapt into a television series.[1] In November 2019, it was announcedJustin Kurzel would direct the series, withShaun Grant serving as writer.[2] Fremantle later exited the project withCurio Pictures serving as producer instead.[3]
In November 2022,Jacob Elordi joined the cast,[4] followed byOdessa Young,Ciarán Hinds,Olivia DeJonge,Heather Mitchell,Thomas Weatherall,Show Kasamatsu, Charles An, andSimon Baker in November 2023.[5]
Principal photography began in November 2023,[6] and filming continued through to March 2024.[7]
Amazon Prime Video distributed the series in Australia, United States, Canada, and New Zealand, withSony Pictures Television set to distribute elsewhere internationally.[8][9] On 17 January 2025, it was announced that after the first presentation at the75th Berlin International Film Festival, the series would be released on 18 April 2025 to coincide with Easter holidays on Amazon Prime Video.[10]The series was acquired by theBBC for broadcast onBBC One & theBBC iPlayer inUnited Kingdom.[11] In Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland, the series will be available in Sky, whereasHBO Max will stream the series exclusively in Central and Eastern Europe. In Latin America, the series will be available in NBCUniversal'sUniversal+. Other deals includeRTÉ (Ireland),Movistar Plus+ (Spain), Nova (Greece),AXN (Portugal) andLG Uplus (South Korea).[12]
The review aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.3/10, based on 37 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "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."[13]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 83 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "universal acclaim " reviews.[14]
In a review forThe Guardian, Luke Buckmaster awarded the show 4 out of 5 stars, noting the strength of the performances and the complexity of the relationships depicted. He also complimented the direction, writing: "You never doubt the show’s realism, or the compassion underpinning it".[15] Hugh Montgomery of theBBC praised the acting of Elordi and Young and described them as possessing "smouldering chemistry".[16]
