152 HACKSAW RIDGE
story, and although he turned it down twice (as he had when approached about
directing Braveheart in 1995), he eventually agreed in November 2014. Si mul ta -
neously, Andrew Garfield agreed to play the main role of Desmond Doss.Production
The filming of Hacksaw Ridge took place in and around Sydney, New South Wales,
Australia, over 59 shooting days (29 September–17 December 2015). Properly set-
dressed with period signs and cars, a street in the town of Richmond, northwest
of Sydney, stood in for a street in Doss’s hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia, in the
1940s. A cemetery scene was filmed at Sydney’s Centennial Park. Doss’s basic train-
ing scenes at Fort Jackson in 1942 were shot at Newington Armory in Sydney’s
Olympic Park. Some of the battlefield scenes were shot at Fox Studios’ backlot in
Sydney, but most were shot at a dairy farm in Bringelly, about 20 miles west of
Sydney, a set that included a partial mock-up of Hacksaw Ridge. Transforming a
cow pasture in Bringelly into a facsimile of the Okinawa battlefield required clear-
cutting and bulldozing a 1,200- acre parcel of land, but the producers won gov-
ernment approval on the proviso that part of the land be rehabilitated after the
shoot ended, a deal that mollified local environmentalists. For wide- angle shots of
Hacksaw Ridge the filmmakers filmed cliffs near Goulburn, 120 miles southwest
of Sydney. Gibson was against using computer- generated imagery (CGI) during the
battle scenes, so special effects were kept at a minimum.Plot Summary
The film opens with a young Desmond Doss (Darcy Bryce) nearly killing his brother
Hal (Roman Guerriero). This experience, along with an upbringing in the church,
sets Desmond on a course of nonviolence. As he becomes a young man, Doss
(Andrew Garfield) charitably brings a wounded man to a nearby hospital and
encounters Nurse Dorothy Schutte (Teresa Palmer). As the pair start dating, Doss
voices an interest in the medical profession. After Pearl Harbor, Doss enlists in the
Army. His father Tom (Hugo Weaving), an embittered alcoholic who is also a World
War I veteran, is repulsed by his son’s decision. Before leaving for Fort Jackson
(South Carolina), Doss becomes engaged to Dorothy. Under the command of Sgt.
Howell (Vince Vaughn), Doss excels in his training but becomes a pariah among
the troops for steering clear of weapons and refusing to complete training on
Saturdays (the Seventh- day Adventist Sabbath). Howell and Capt. Glover (Sam
Worthington) try to have Doss discharged on psychiatric grounds but fail so they
proceed to make Doss’s life miserable so he’ll quit. After finishing basic training,
Doss goes on leave. While he aims to return home and marry Dorothy, he is instead
arrested for refusing to carry a rifle. Dorothy pleads with Doss during her visits to
prison, asking him to admit guilt so that he can be released to her without pen-
alty. However, Doss stays true to his religious beliefs and pleads not guilty at his
trial. Before Doss can be sentenced, his father, wearing his soldier’s uniform, inter-
rupts the tribunal with a letter confirming that his son’s decision not to carry a
gun is protected by the law. The charges are dropped, and Doss and Dorothy
proceed with their marriage. Soon thereafter Doss’s unit is assigned to the