The Dry

Official Australian release date: 1/1/21. Viewed: 6/1/21.
Director: Robert Connolly
Actors: Eric Bana, Genevive O’Reilly, Keir O’Donnell, John Polson
Genre: Drama / Mystery
Rating: MA

 

‘The Dry’ is a very well put together Australian murder-mystery (disclosure – I haven’t read the novel), set in north-western Victoria (in the fictional town of Kiewarra), where Aaron Falk (Bana), an AFP agent, returns to after 20 years, to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke. This leads to him digging a bit further and uncovering things from this case and his past, with the help of Sergeant Raco (O’Donnell) and Scott (Polson), the school principal.

There’s well-placed flashbacks of Aaron, Luke, Ellie (Bettencourt) and Gretchen (O’Reilly) when they were teenagers. This is used as a great tool to contrast the change in the Australian environment, with the creeks now dry and the wheat fields replaced with dust, as well as the change in the fortunes of the four friends in adulthood.

This is a very well-paced and directed film, with a strong plot, good score, strong acting and great cinematography – as good as Connolly’s ‘Balibo’. I didn’t figure it out exactly until right near the end. Great to see Bana back in a great piece of Aussie cinema.

Overall: Assured crime mystery which keeps you engaged.

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.