Anthony Minghella's Civil War epic follows wounded Confederate deserter Inman (Jude Law) as he treks across a ravaged South to return to Ada (Nicole Kidman), the woman he left behind, while she learns to survive on their farm with the help of the resourceful drifter Ruby (Renée Zellweger). Adapted from Charles Frazier's novel, the film intercuts Inman's perilous odyssey with Ada's transformation from genteel outsider to capable farmer. Zellweger's earthy performance won the film's sole Oscar, stealing focus from its more restrained leads. Visually sweeping and unabashedly romantic, it's a modern entry in the tradition of the Homeric wartime homecoming story.