Aaron Falk returns to his drought-stricken hometown to attend a tragic funeral. But his return opens a decades-old wound – the unsolved death of a teenage girl.
Outback Noir is one of my favorite genres. This mystery focuses on a shocking act of violence and a worthy twenty-year-old cold case that connects the town in silent rage.
Based on the bestselling novel by Jane Harper, “The Dry” is a nuanced adaptation devoid of action scenes but it keeps the poignant drama front and center. Filmed in the Australian State of Victoria, director Robert Connolly co-wrote the screenplay set in the fictional sunbaked town Kiewarra. Cinematography by Stefan Duscio uses wide-panning shots and lengthy aerial angles to set an epic and intimate experience – a cross between John Ford and Alfred Hitchcock. There are endless open spaces on farms and tense close quarters in the local pub which beg the question: what would Ford and Hitchcock have delivered if they had access to drone cameras?
The first frames reveal the outback’s harsh nature, then show the eventual development: a man in nature, a house built in the middle of a field, a screaming baby in the house, and a sharp cut to a modern, steely city. Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) is a detective living in Melbourne when he receives a threatening note stating, “Luke lied, you lied.” This note compels him to return to Kiewarra, nearly 20 years later, to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke, who allegedly murdered his wife Karen and son Billy, sparing his baby Charlotte before shooting himself. Kiewarra is quite rural, it’s been 324 days since it’s rained, and the arid conditions cause massive cracks to form in the ground. Falk stands out wearing pressed button-downs and bold Tom Ford sunglasses – quite different from most of the locals’ attire. At the funeral, Falk meets Jamie (James Frecheville), a friend of Luke’s who claims the two were hunting rabbits all day. Outside the funeral, Gretchen (Genevieve O’Reilly) approaches Falk and the two are happy to see each other under the circumstances. They, along with Luke and Ellie (BeBe Bettencourt), used to spend time together in their teens. One day, that happy foursome’s world was shattered after Ellie was found drowned in their local swimming spot. Some speculated she committed suicide while most of the town immediately blamed Falk and Luke. The mob mentality got so bad that Falk’s father took his teenage son and moved to Melbourne, hoping that a city would offer protective anonymity.
Luke’s parents ask Falk to stay a couple of days to investigate the triple homicide. Although Falk is not a homicide detective, he is normally tasked with financial crimes and fraud, he agrees to investigate. Another great element of this story is that he is not some top cop and deescalates situations rather than react with increased violence. There is not much to do in a scorching dead-end town, so Falk begins spending evenings at the local pub. Unfortunately, two of the regulars are Ellie’s cousin Grant Dow (Matt Nable) and father Mal (William Zappa) who are certain Falk killed her. Falk’s memories are framed with poetic parallels displaying thoughtful editing and storyboarding. Pitted between memories, angry townsfolk, and incongruous evidence, he’s determined to sort things out. Peter Raeburn’s lush score is a moody blend of ambient and suspenseful.
I read this excellent novel over a year ago and was thrilled to learn it was being adapted with Eric Bana taking on the interesting lead role. Bana back in his native Australia speaking with his genuine accent reminded me of how much better some actors are when not putting on an American accent. Like Colin Farrell, there’s a certain holding back when trying to keep an accent contained and you can see how much better his acting is in “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” or “In Bruges.” Although there are no shootouts, the tension brought on by issues like homophobia, abuse, alcoholism, mixed with scorching temperatures, is thrilling on its own. Anything could set off the flammable terrain and burn the whole town down. Kiewarra’s main street is like a forgotten frontier, and its inhabitants are the kind of places and people I like to see portrayed in Outback Noir.
In Theaters and On-Demand Friday, May 21st
