Gallipoli (1981)★ 7.8/10

The film strips away the cold detachment of casualty statistics and instead gives us fully fleshed-out individuals like Archy and Frank—men with dreams, families, and friendships. Their humanity is what makes the horrors of war so painfully clear.

Unlike typical war dramas, "Gallipoli" spends surprisingly little time on the Turkish battlefield. Most of the runtime follows the characters through training in Australia and Egypt, with a light, even joyful tone. That serenity makes Archy’s death and Frank’s devastation all the more tragic.