> The woman who knew every inch of the middle-east!

It is a kind of female version of 'Lawrence of Arabia', the lead actress herself told that. A biographical drama of a British woman who had played an important role in many middle-eastern affairs during the early 1900s. After the tragic death of the man she was madly in love, the young Gertrude Bell decides to travel across the middle-east to write about it and to do some archaeological research and other stuffs. After the decades of travel on all the corners of the region, what she achieved was the film disclosed in an inspiring way.

I love this director's films and filmmaking style. It is his first time since last 6 years, but not good as I expected. It is a bit of both, documentary and feature film. Awesomely shot, I loved the camera work and actors too did so well. Nicole Kidman was brilliant, might be her best for portraying in a real life character. Yet something was missing from the film. Maybe the film came at the wrong time, should have been made at least 15 years ago. Otherwise, it is an Oscar worthy product.

This film is worth watching for the beautiful desert landscapes and obviously for Kidman. The issue with the story is the focus which completely relied on Kidman's role. She was everywhere and leaving blank on the other end. Something like showing what she accomplished was the notion, so in perspective, it could have made a better documentary film. Some people might like it, especially if you're from the middle-east. But don't expect I would recommend it, because I won't. Whatever I said the film was not bad, just a 50-50 kind.

5/10