The Dry (2021)

By: Mike Ward on Friday, May 21

R Running Time: 118 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

Fans of slow-burn, murder mysteries will find lots to delve into and try and solve with The Dry.
Based on Jane Harper’s acclaimed, award-winning and best-selling 2016 novel, The Dry has already become one of Australia’s biggest grossing films of all time.
Eric Bana returns to the big screen for the first-time in four years and says a lot with a performance where he ultimately says very little at all.

NO

May move too slowly for some viewers.
Those familiar with the book have taken some issue with the way key elements have been altered a bit, largely lacking explanation on screen that was present in the book.
The stoic nature of Bana’s performance may brush up against those who want to root for a more charismatic centerpiece in their suspense movies. Other characters run the risk of caricature when balanced up against Bana’s steadfast, minimal dialogue approach.

OUR REVIEW

For 324 days, not a drop of rain has fallen in the farming community of Kiewarra, north of Melbourne, Australia. When federal agent Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) is summoned to the drought-stricken community, his investigation of an alleged murder-suicide brings back memories of why Aaron left his hometown decades before.

Based on the 2016 best-selling novel by Jane Harper, The Dry uncovers a small town in crisis. For Aaron, the murder-suicide draws him back home as childhood friend Luke (Martin Dingle Wall) is identified as one of those dead, along with wife Karen, and their oldest son. A newborn survives.

Anticipating a return merely for Luke’s memorial, Aaron has no intentions of remaining in a hometown he once left under duress. However, after the memorial service, Luke’s parents convince him to stay, as they simply do not believe the police findings that Luke killed his wife and child.

A compelling slow-drip mystery/thriller, The Dry may take place in the fictionalized setting of Kiewarra, but on screen the vast, barren landscape provides ample space for small-town drama and intrigue to take root; the kind which only exists in books, television, and the movies. Director Robert Connolly nestles into this troubled community and incorporates flashbacks to a happier time for Aaron which would ultimately end in sadness and tragedy.

In Aaron’s present-day story, the lack of urgency seems as if it would work against the film’s effectiveness. Bana digs in with a pensive, steel-jawed determination that becomes hard to root against. He encounters several residents who remember Aaron’s connection to girlfriend Ellie in their teenage years. Ellie’s passing, and a somewhat nebulous alibi leaving some to feel as if Aaron knows more about her death than he ever shared.

Nonetheless, in the face of resistance to his mere presence, Aaron presses on. Methodical, he both uncovers realities and avoids confrontation in equal measure. Gretchen (Genevieve O’Reilly), a single mother and Luke’s former girlfriend when they were all teenagers, seems to be a safe, friendly contact. The local police chief (Kier O’Donnell) befriends Aaron, and the two begin chasing a few different leads and potential explanations for what led to Luke and his family’s death.

Bana co-produced The Dry and returns to the big screen after a four-year sabbatical. At times, The Dry cracks with repetition, steering us away from the dramatic elements we become most invested in. Aaron is a man of few words, and Bana is largely reactive to events happening around him. This can grow occasionally wearisome when yet another hometown drunkard or town braggard wants to pick a fight with him. As a result, we rely on the twists and turns in the investigation and consider little details which begin to intensify in their meaning.

As the movie rounds into its final act, the deliberate pacing picks up dramatically, the final moments of the film rushing in with a whiplash of activity that seems discordant from the rest of the story. While Connolly and co-writer Harry Cripps’ adaptation could have been more balanced in building to these moments, The Dry leaves a lasting impression and keeps us guessing right up until the end.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Eric Bana, Genevieve O’Reilly, Keir O’Donnell, John Polson, BeBe Bettencourt, Joe Klocek, Claude Scott-Mitchell, Sam Corlett, Martin Dingle Wall, Bruce Spence, Julia Blake, Matt Nable, William Zappa, James Frecheville, Miranda Tapsell, Renee Lim.

Director: Robert Connolly
Written by: Harry Cripps, Robert Connolly (screenwriters); Samantha Strauss (additional writing)
Based on the book “The Dry” by Jane Harper
Release Date: May 21, 2021
IFC Films

Fans of slow-burn, murder mysteries will find lots to delve into and try and solve with The Dry.

Based on Jane Harper’s acclaimed, award-winning and best-selling 2016 novel, The Dry has already become one of Australia’s biggest grossing films of all time.

Eric Bana returns to the big screen for the first-time in four years and says a lot with a performance where he ultimately says very little at all.

May move too slowly for some viewers.

Those familiar with the book have taken some issue with the way key elements have been altered a bit, largely lacking explanation on screen that was present in the book.

The stoic nature of Bana’s performance may brush up against those who want to root for a more charismatic centerpiece in their suspense movies. Other characters run the risk of caricature when balanced up against Bana’s steadfast, minimal dialogue approach.