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Parents' Guide to

The Ottoman Lieutenant

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Old-fashioned wartime romance gets very violent.

Movie R 2017 106 minutes
The Ottoman Lieutenant Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 18+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Hellenic1
Hellenic1 Adult
July 26, 2020
age 18+

Untrue

Does not represent the truth of the Turkish slaughtering of Christians
Nune1
Nune1 Adult
June 26, 2019
age 18+
This is a romance that provides cover for a whitewashed history of the Armenian Genocide. Without a shred of passion evoked by the film’s love triangle and the debasement of historical fact in the movie's war-torn storyline. The Ottoman Empire attacked Russia. Typical the commentators here abusing Armenians. The same mentality that supported Germans. And that's not hard to find out when you look to the names of Film Directors.
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE OTTOMAN LIEUTENANT, nurse Lillie Rowe (Hera Hilmar) finds that 1914 Philadelphia frowns on headstrong women who'd rather work than be married. She also hates the fact that her hospital turns away non-white patients. But everything changes when she meets doctor Jude Gresham (Josh Hartnett), who works at a hospital in Turkey. Lillie decides to donate supplies to the hospital and travels there to see to their delivery. She finds a guide in Ismail Veli (Michiel Huisman), a lieutenant in the Ottoman Imperial Army. Before long, Lillie finds herself in a love triangle between the good doctor and the raffish lieutenant; worse, a relationship between a white Christian woman and a Turkish lieutenant would be forbidden. But soon, war begins, and the danger grows ever more intense around them.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Unabashedly old-fashioned and romantic, this World War I-era movie fearlessly plucks at the heartstrings while offering glorious, big-screen cinematography ... and a bit of revisionist history. The Ottoman Lieutenant may may lack big-name movie stars. And, because it was funded largely by Turkish financiers, it shines a positive light on the country, largely ignoring the Armenian Genocide of 1915. But if you judge it based on goal of telling a romantic story against an intense wartime backdrop, like a mini-Dr. Zhivago or The English Patient, it succeeds handsomely.

The three characters involved in the love triangle are very appealing, and their human qualities make their relationship all the more complex. Plus, Ben Kingsley is wonderfully hammy as the founder of the Turkish hospital. Veteran director Joseph Ruben, who usually makes low-level thrillers (like the excellent The Stepfather) forgoes any tricks and simply uses a gorgeous widescreen backdrop with spectacular landscapes and plays of light to underline his story. The telling of it is smart but not confusing, tragic but not weepy, and swoon-inducing without being dopey.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Ottoman Lieutenant's violence. How is it depicted? How does the historical/war backdrop affect the violence? Does it seem important or gratuitous? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • What did you learn about the first World War? Did the movie inspire you to do more research or learn more? What other WWI movies have you seen? How do they compare?

  • Why would it be so unusual -- and frowned upon -- for a woman to volunteer at a hospital in another country, in a war zone?

  • In an early scene, an injured black man is turned away from an American hospital. Why would this have happened?

  • Just because a story is based on history/real events, does that mean that it portrays all facts/perspectives? How does this movie reflect a particular outlook/view of the past?

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