The Dry: Review

The Dry

Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) is a cop returning home for the funeral of a friend who supposedly killed his wife and his son before turning the gun on himself. Aaron has a history with the town and his work in law enforcement hasn’t made him any friends. However, when Gerry (Bruce Spence) and Barb Handler (Julia Blake) tell Aaron that they don’t believe their son would have been capable of murdering anyone, he decides to investigate the case.

During his investigation, things start to remind him of a similar case that happened during his childhood and what with his home town being as secretive now as they were back then, Aaron starts to find it hard to uncover the truth.

The Dry is a drama directed and co-written by Robert Connelly with Harry Crips, based on the novel by Jane Harper. With its police procedural format, it’s the performances from Bana and Genevieve O’Reilly as Aaron’s childhood friend that drive the film.



Set during a drought in Aaron’s home town, the setting is simplistic, quiet and untouched, but as Aaron digs further, he finds more than first impressions allow.

Going back to his memories through flashbacks, The Dry shows Aaron’s younger days and the toxicity of adolescence and his regrets that things should have gone differently. However, Connelly’s retelling of Harper’s novel never sensationalises the content for thrills and spectacle, instead making the facts as plain as the landscape that surrounds the town.

The Dry feels like a film for adults and so it never embellishes on the events, it just tells it as it is. So, for those looking for an action packed, gun totting melodrama may want to look elsewhere. However, audiences who want a contemplative story of regret and loss that never treats them like attention deficient children, then The Dry may be a good antidote to cinematic mayhem.

Bana is also similarly stoic and contemplative, putting in a great performance and never heightening the drama above where it needs to be. The story may be somewhat formulaic and the ending tied up rather neatly, but it’s an enjoyable film for those bored with overblown visual effects and needless violence.


We hope you're enjoying BRWC. You should check us out on our social channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and tell your friends. BRWC is short for battleroyalewithcheese.


Trending on BRWC:

Nosferatu: Review

Nosferatu: Review

By BRWC / 11th December 2024 / 1 Comment
Going Viral: Review

Going Viral: Review

By Joel Fisher / 16th December 2024 / 1 Comment
It All Comes With The Cold Water: Review

It All Comes With The Cold Water: Review

By BRWC / 6th December 2024
A Complete Unknown: The BRWC Review

A Complete Unknown: The BRWC Review

By BRWC / 21st December 2024
Carry-On – Review

Carry-On – Review

By BRWC / 20th December 2024

Cool Posts From Around the Web:



Joel found out that he had a talent for absorbing film trivia at a young age. Ever since then he has probably watched more films than the average human being, not because he has no filter but because it’s one of the most enjoyable, fulfilling and enriching experiences that a person can have. He also has a weak spot for bad sci-fi/horror movies because he is a huge geek and doesn’t care who knows it.

NO COMMENTS

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.