<P> Hacksaw Ridge is a 2016 biographical war drama film directed by Mel Gibson and written by Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan, based on the 2004 documentary The Conscientious Objector . The film focuses on the World War II experiences of Desmond Doss, an American pacifist combat medic who was a Seventh - day Adventist Christian, refusing to carry or use a firearm or weapons of any kind . Doss became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor, for service above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle of Okinawa . Andrew Garfield stars as Doss, with Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, and Vince Vaughn in supporting roles . </P> <P> The film was released in the United States on November 4, 2016, grossing $175.3 million worldwide and received positive reviews, with Gibson's direction and Garfield's performance earning notable praise . Hacksaw Ridge was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of its top ten Movies of the Year, and has received numerous awards and nominations . The film received six Oscar nominations at the 89th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Garfield and Best Sound Editing, winning the awards for Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing . It also received Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, and 12 AACTA Awards nominations, winning the majority, including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor for Garfield, and Best Supporting Actor for Weaving . </P> <P> As a young boy, Desmond Doss nearly kills his younger brother Hal . This experience and his Seventh - day Adventist upbringing reinforce Desmond's belief in the commandment "Thou shalt not kill". Years later, Doss takes an injured man to the hospital and meets a nurse, Dorothy Schutte . The two begin a relationship and Doss tells Dorothy of his interest in medical work . </P> <P> After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Doss is motivated to enlist in the Army and intends to serve as a combat medic . His father Tom, a troubled World War I veteran, is deeply upset by the decision . Before leaving for Fort Jackson, he asks for Dorothy's hand in marriage and she accepts . </P>

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