There comes a time when we wish to relive the past. We are free to dream away and feel previous moments as if they were in our hands and we could discard them or put them on a pedestal. They soon fade, however, like everything does and this is why we need to share them. We have to tell our stories in order to move on into existence.

And this is what Baz Luhrmann attempts with “Australia.” He aims to create a major epic about the history of his homeland, as seen through the eyes of individuals who experienced all there is to experience on the treacherous verge of war.

Narrated by Nullah (Brandon Walters), a young boy who is half Aboriginal and half Caucasian, the story focuses on the remote Outback, with its wild and fresh scenery and harshly callous reality. We find out during the opening scenes of the film that 1939’s Darwin “was a land of crocodiles, cattle barons and warrior chiefs, where adventure and romance was a way of life.”

Enter Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman). She is a stiff English Aristocrat who travels Down Under in order to find her husband, whose lengthy departures offer her major reasons of concern. As soon as she arrives at Faraway Downs, the property of her spouse, she finds out that he was murdered. Thus, instead of leaving, the widow decides to take control over her late husband’s affairs and cope with the rough situation at the ranch.

Nevertheless, Neil Fletcher (David Wenham), a devious station manager who has been organizing with a greedy businessman (Bryan Brown), the owner of all the cattle in the Northern Territory barring Lady Sarah Ashley’s, a plan to steal her unbranded animals, represents the most dangerous impediment for the woman. When she finds out about their scheme, she decides to drive the 1,500 head of cattle to the port of Darwin and sell them to the military.

The delicate aristocrat asks Drover (People’s sexiest man alive Hugh Jackman) to lend her a hand and in spite of the fact that they initially can’t stand each other, the British lady and the rugged Aussie cowboy end up falling in love.

The romance serves as a bridge between the noteworthy cultural and political issues portrayed in the movie, without feeling misplaced. The love story helps Baz Luhrmann develop various perspectives on war conflicts, as well as on interhuman relationships.

Sketched on the large canvas of World War II’s beginnings, “Australia” manages to stand out for its old-fashioned way of recreating a masterpiece.