Is the drought-stricken country town simply a “black hole,” as the local hotel bartender asides, or is this a common situation for rural areas across Australia?
‘The Dry’ Review: Eric Bana Returns to Aussie Features in a Rattling Good Mystery-Thriller Variety 1/22/2021
The barren earth surrounding a drought-stricken Aussie town provides fertile ground for mystery, suspense and punchy emotional drama in “The Dry.” This enthralling adaptation of Jane Harper’s international bestseller stars a spot-on Eric Bana as a city detective whose investigation of an apparent murder-suicide in his hometown triggers renewed suspicion about his involvement in a mysterious death that’s haunted the community for two decades. Expertly directed and co-written by respected filmmaker Robert Connolly (“Balibo,” “Paper Planes”), “The Dry” has all the character intrigue, clever plot twists and red herrings to keep viewers guessing. It should become a sizeable summer hit when released in local cinemas on Jan. 1. Broad international streaming exposure is assured.
The Dry, starring Eric Bana, matches wide open spaces with uncomfortably close drama. Photograph: Roadshow
Jane Harperâs best-selling novel The Dry is one of those books that feels written with a feature film adaptation in mind: a genre narrative (crime mystery-thriller) thatâs pacey, plot-driven and full of dialogue, with a central location ripe for cinematic imagery. Extensive use of flashbacks is built into its structure, and theyâre even presented in italics as if to say, âThis is where the cuts and scene changes goâ.
Director Robert Connollyâs adaptation is a very gripping and polished film, commandingly performed and directed, with an airtight sense of tonal cohesiveness â despite lots of, well, air in the frame, derived from countless mid- and long-shots capturing barren exterior locations in a fictitious Australian outback town. Written by Connolly and Harry Cripps, the script â lik