Russell Crowe stars in this sensitive, moving Australian drama about a young crippled boy's coming of age. The boy, Alan, is stricken with polio, and his dream in life is to become a great horse rider like East Driscoll (Crowe), an enigmatic and reclusive figure in Alan's hometown. Alan is one of East's few friends, and he is also one of the few to know about the romance that blooms between he and a beautiful married schoolteacher in town. Both East's and Alan's lives are thrown into turmoil when East goes on a rampage after learning that his great love will not leave her husband for him. A brilliant and evocative coming of age film from Australian director Ann Turner, HAMMERS OVER THE ANVIL is an emotional meditation on adolescence and the experience of a first love.