The Dry (film)

Federal Agent Aaron Falk returns to his home town Kiewarra after an absence of over twenty years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke, who allegedly killed his wife Karen and child Billy (sparing baby daughter Charlotte) before taking his own life. At the persuasion of Luke's parents, Falk reluctantly agrees to stay and investigate the circumstances of the crime.

Falk is continuously harassed by the townspeople, following the now twenty-year-old death of 17-year-old Ellie Deacon, a close friend of his that he was romantically involved with. Falk was immediately suspected for the death, as he'd given her a note that day asking her to meet him at the river, only for her not to show and be found by her father and police, drowned in the river. Falk and his father had been forced to leave town to avoid harassment from Ellie's ruthless father.

With the help of the local sergeant Greg Raco, he begins to look into the events. They discover that the bullets used in the crime were Winchesters while Luke only owned Remmingtons, indicating that the killer used different ammunition to what the family owned.

Falk interviews Scott Whitlam, the principal of the local school and Karen's boss, who explains that although she was struggling to gather funding for the school, she didn't seem to have any troubles. Falk and Raco discover that McMurdo was spotted upon CCTV footage. Falk discovers the word 'grant?' one the back of the library receipt, leading Falk to suspect that Ellie's brother, Grant Dow, wants to purchase the family's farm once it went on the market due to Luke's parents being unable to keep it. Dow denies this, although he and his father are still vile towards Falk.

When Falk visits Gretchen, another childhood friend and Karen's co-worker, she explains some documents on her table are applications for school funding. While reminiscing over an old photo album, Falk discovers that Luke is the father of Gretchen's only child Lachlan. Falk takes some of the funding applications and realises that Karen's writing of 'grant?' referred to funds being granted, not Dow, now suspecting Whitlam of embezzlement.

Falk and Raco go to question Whitlam at the school, only to find he has fled to the bush. Whitlam admits to his gambling addiction and stealing money from the school to pay back his debts, and that he murdered the family to cover up his fraud. Whitlam drenches himself in oil and lights himself on fire to kill himself. Falk and Raco tackle the burning Whitlam to the ground and put out the fire themselves, stopping it from spreading to the trees and sparking a bushfire. Raco is burnt and hospitalised, but the investigation is closed, clearing Luke's innocence.

Leaving town, Falk visits the rocky area that he and Ellie used to frequent, only to find her old backpack, which contains a journal noting that her father was abusing her. Flashbacks indicate that her father drowned and killed her himself. Falk walks back with the backpack along the riverbed, now completely dry.

The film rights for the novel were optioned by producers Bruna Papandrea and Reese Witherspoon in 2015[4] and was produced by Papandrea's production company, Made Up Stories.[5] Eric Bana starred in the lead role of Aaron Falk, with Genevieve O'Reilly as Gretchen and Keir O'Donnell as Raco.[6]

Principal photography began in March 2019 in the Australian state of Victoria, including the Wimmera Mallee region.[5][7]

The film was due for release on 27 August 2020[8] but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] It had its premiere in Melbourne on 11 December 2020,[10] and was released wide by Roadshow Films in Australia and New Zealand on 1 January 2021.[11]

The review consensus at Rotten Tomatoes for The Dry had 100% of critics recommending the film, based on 14 reviews and an average rating of 7.80 out of 10.[12]

The film made $3.5 million (AUS) during its opening weekend in the Australian box office making it one of the highest grossing Australian film opening weekends ever, and the best debut for an Australian-made feature at the country’s B.O. from an independent studio.[13] After the first three weeks of release, the film had made over $10 million (AUS).[14]

• The Dry at IMDb
• The Dry at Rotten Tomatoes