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Life in a small town can be comfortable and welcoming when all is good. But when things go wrong, it’s easy to end up as an outcast. And in the crime drama The Dry, when one of those small-town outcasts returns home years later, he’s forced to come to terms with his painful past.
The Dry stars Eric Bana as Aaron Falk, a federal agent who returns home to a small Australian town for the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke, who allegedly killed his wife and son before killing himself. Luke’s grieving mother is convinced that her son couldn’t do such a horrible thing, so she asks Aaron to look into his business dealings to see if he can find a motive. But the longer he stays in town, the more resistance he gets from townspeople who still blame him for another death from two decades ago.
Based on the bestselling novel by Jane Harper, The Dry is a slow-burn whodunit following Aaron as he returns to the small town that he was forced to leave decades ago. It’s a town that’s struggling, waiting for the rain that’s held off for nearly a year. And though the drought doesn’t get the attention that it surely did in the novel, it’s still clear from the sweeping shots of desolate fields and dry river banks.
As Aaron looks into Luke’s case, he reacquaints himself with the town and its residents. He teams up with the anxious small-town sheriff. He has drinks with the school principal. He reconnects with Gretchen (Genevieve O’Reilly), his only remaining childhood friend. But few people are happy to see him—and as he tries to uncover the truth, he does so knowing that he’s been lying about his own past for years.
While some moments may seem unrelated or even irrelevant to the plot, nearly everything here has its purpose. Like most small towns, this one has a whole lot of secrets—and while some may have nothing to do with either case, they still say a lot about this community. Meanwhile, the stories unfold together, revealing parallels and strange coincidences to connect Luke’s case to the death of Aaron’s teenage friend. Each conversation seems to reveal something new about the investigations and the people involved. Even off-hand comments will have viewers rethinking their opinion of what really happened. And while the conclusion isn’t obvious—because there are just too many possibilities—it all comes together in a satisfying way.
Admittedly, The Dry can sometimes feel a bit, well, dry. It’s quiet and deliberate—inspired by the drought-stricken landscape. But while it isn’t a breakneck-paced thriller, this small-town mystery will still keep audiences engaged.
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