Mulligan’s song of the soil is spellbinding
The Dig (PG, 113mins) Directed by Simon Stone Reviewed by James Croot ★★★★1⁄2
Who knew that nearly two hours of watching soil being moved around could produce one of the most riveting dramas of recent years?
And it’s not as if there’s any Poldark-esque scythe action going on.
Reminding one very much of the repressed romantic tales of the 1990s – think The Remains of the Day, The English Patient or
Mrs Brown – this adaptation of John Preston’s 2007 novel, The Dig, feels achingly intimate and hauntingly universal at the same time.
Set on the eve of World War II in idyllic Suffolk, it opens with expert excavator Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) arriving via bicycle at wealthy widow Edith Pretty’s (Carey Mulligan) estate. Although he comes with a reputation for being unorthodox, difficult and untrained, she is keen to complete her long-held dream of having the mysterious mounds on her property thoroughly examined before Britain is drawn into battle against Hitler’s mounting forces. With Ipswich Museum focused on its own projects, they’re not interested in Edith’s ‘‘minor venture’’.
Neither initially is Basil, at least for the money she’s offering. However, an improved offer, onsite lodgings, and additional pairs of hands persuade him to change his mind. Sharing her belief that there is something significant hiding under the earth, Basil throws himself into his work, forming a close bond with Edith in the process.
But, like the dig site itself, her heart is more fragile than it first seems, and when outside forces and events threaten to take Basil and their find away from her, it threatens to all become too much.
Despite the obvious potential for grime and grimness, The Dig boasts some magnificent costuming and production design and a rich, atmospheric soundtrack.
Making full use of the gorgeous landscape (and the skills of Emmynominated cinematographer Mike Eley), director Simon Stone (of 2015’s Sam Neill-starrer The Daughter) also does a magnificent job of drawing the viewer into the drama via tight camera angles, extreme close-ups and point-ofview shots, while not being afraid to juxtapose off-screen audio with onscreen visuals.
Just as impressively, he and screenwriter Moira Buffini
(Jane Eyre, Tamara Drewe and TV’s Harlots) handle the narrative twists and pacing gear changes seamlessly, with a jaw-dropping set piece likely to leave you breathless as would-be rescuers scrabble and claw at clods of clay.
At the heart of The Dig though is a trio of terrific performances. That’s something actor-turneddirector Stone, who started out starring in Australian productions like Balibo and Jindabyne, probably again deserves some credit for.
While she’s only in the second half of the story, Lily James (Rebecca, Downton Abbey), sporting some spectacular eyewear, is a scene-stealer as an aspiring archaeologist and frustrated new wife, desperate for respect and romance. She, though, has to play second-fiddle to Fiennes (Schindler’s List, The Grand Budapest) at his fully immersed finest, and another stunning turn from Mulligan (Far From the Madding Crowd, Suffragette). If you’re lucky enough to be watching this and Promising Young Woman in quick succession, you’d find it hard to believe it was the same actor.
Take the chance to see this gorgeous, gentle, heartwrenching and life-affirming tale on the big screen while (and if) you can, before it heads to its permanent Netflix home, because you’re likely to leave spellbound by what you’ve just witnessed.
The Dig is now screening in select cinemas nationwide. It will debut on Netflix on January 29.
A jaw-dropping set piece is likely to leave you breathless as would-be rescuers scrabble and claw at clods of clay.