MOVIE REVIEW
“THE DRY”
Rated R. On VOD.
Grade: A-
A Faulknerian climate-change film noir based on a best-selling 2016 debut novel by British-born Jane Harper, “The Dry” features Aussie Eric Bana as a Federal Police Officer reluctantly investigating the triple murder of his former best friend, his friend’s wife and one of their children. Bana is Aaron Falk, the Audi-driving, stylish shades-wearing former resident of the drought-stricken fictional farming town of Kiewarra, Regional Australia five miles from Melbourne.
Aaron is not exactly a favorite son. As it turns out, he has long been suspected of foul play in the death of Eleanor “Ellie” Deacon (Bebe Bettencourt) 20 years earlier, although a case has never been made against him. Throughout the film, we see flashbacks to the young Aaron (Joe Klocek), hanging out and swimming with his friends, including Luke Hadler (Sam Corlett), the murdered man, at a small river in the outback, where Ellie’s drowned body was found. Luke had played roughly with Ellie in the river earlier and made young Aaron swear that the two had been out shooting rabbits when Ellie drowned.
Aaron’s reappearance at Kiewarra is extended after Luke’s grieving mother (Julia Blake) begs Aaron to investigate the killings, convinced her son is innocent. Aaron checks into a room at the local pub, where he is confronted by Ellie’s drunken father and an acquaintance. Slowly, Aaron uncovers clues to the new murders. Among these are people who lied about where they were when the murders took place. A romance between Aaron and his old friend Gretchen (Genevieve O’Reilly), who now has a young son, blossoms. Did Luke kill his wife, his young son, but not their new baby? Or did the murders have something to do with his failing farm and loans Luke could not repay?
There are a lot of characters to keep track of in “The Dry,” and it is not always easy. But it is worth the effort. Bana’s Aaron is undoubtedly haunted by the old accusations and gossip about him. As Grant Dow, one of the men questioned about his whereabouts on the day of the murder and one of Aaron’s accusers, former footballer Matt Nable is a force to be reckoned with. O’Reilly is lovely, maternal, secretive and full of rage, a mysterious spirit. As much as we might like Aaron, we have to admit that the final reveal might be that he killed Ellie, perhaps inadvertently.
Harper’s balancing act is frightening. Places where Aaron swam and fished as an adolescent have dried up. Is this world dying? Yes, that is “Road Warrior” gyro guy Bruce Spence as Luke’s father Gerry Hadler. As local police officer Greg Raco, Keir O’Donnell is a good sidekick for baleful Aaron. Bana brings a wearisome mournfulness to Aaron as if the still youngish man is already tired of the burden life has handed him. Yes, I sometimes wished for subtitles (you can turn them on on your TV). Director/co-writer Robert Connolly gets gold from his cast. Music by Peter Raeburn adds another note of sadness. The same is true of the stark, rural Victoria visuals. “The Dry” opened in Australia and New Zealand in January and has become one of the biggest locally made hits. Can we get an HBO series?
(“The Dry” contains violence and profanity.)
The Link LonkMay 21, 2021 at 04:39PM
https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/05/21/the-dry-sets-satisfying-noir-against-arid-australian-landscape/
‘The Dry’ sets satisfying noir against arid Australian landscape - Boston Herald
https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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