Why So Blu?

The Dry (Blu-ray Review)

In The Dry, Federal Agent Aaron Falk returns to his home town after an absence of over twenty years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke, who allegedly killed his wife and child before taking his own life — a victim of the madness that has ravaged this community after more than a decade of drought. When Falk reluctantly agrees to stay and investigate the crime, he opens up an old wound — the death of 17 year old Ellie Deacon. Falk begins to suspect these two crimes, separated by decades, are connected. As he struggles to prove not only Luke’s innocence but also his own, Falk finds himself pitted against the prejudice towards him and pent up rage of a terrified community. The Dry is released on Blu-ray January 18, 2022!

 

Film 

Federal Agent Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) has come back to his hometown to investigate a murder that is currently being blamed on one of his childhood friends. Being back in town has opened up old wounds due to the death of his friends, Ellie. At one point the town was convinced that Eric was responsible for her death. He decided to pack it up and move to the big city and go into law enforcement. Now that he’s back for the funeral of his friend and family, these old wounds are about be re-opened.

I remember watching a trailer for The Dry back in the summer and thought it looked great. The title bugged me a bit because I did not pick up on the thematic elements of a drought until I actually watched the film on Blu-ray. It made sense after. The Dry is a beautifully shot Outback-neo-noir film that has such a rich and visual palette that even when the film shows settings taking place in baked out environments, still look terrific.

Eric Bana as the conflicted federal agent was quite a turn, because without spoiling, his character has also been through a lot and we get to see his own trials and tribulations. He had no other choice but to leave the small town he grew up in for the big city. Now that he’s back, his demeanor has also shifted a bit. He has an almost morose temperament. He’s either jaded from his work in the city or by the loss of his friend many years ago.

The Dry is one of the best films of the year and features one of Eric Bana’s best performances in recent memory. In fact, the whole cast is fantastic. I mentioned before that it’s an Outback-neo-noir but you can also throw in some modern-day western embellishments. There are moments of “slow burn” throughout the picture, as well. The material is definitely hard-boiled and I am now interested in the sequel novel written by Jane Harper who also wrote the novel that this is based on by the same name. Here’s hoping Federal Agent Falk comes back for a sequel on film. The Outback needs him!

 

Video 

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Clarity/Detail: The Dry on Blu-ray looks fantastic. Sharpness and contrast levels are nice and stable. I did not pick up on any post-production tinkering. *I added some additional commentary down below in the noise/artificial section since the film was shot via digital, with the exception of certain sequences.

Depth: Depth levels shine during the flashback sequences, but they also shine in the present day. There’s an almost “dusty” sheen to the present-day events.

Black Levels: Black levels are deep, inky, and free from crush.

Color Reproduction: The color palette is rich and vibrant depending on the scenes. There is a reason why the film is called The Dry. During the scenes taking place in the present it looks like the color in those scenes were sucked out like a vacuum. Once it flashes back the color palette becomes rich and saturated, never looking artificial.

Flesh Tones: Flesh tones look incredible. Put on some sunscreen while visiting.

Noise/Artifacts: *There is a grain structure in the flashback scenes that may throw the viewer off for a minute, but that’s due to those specific scenes being filmed in 16mm film stock. It is not digital noise or an anomaly.

Audio

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD MA 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Dynamics: The lossless soundtrack is a richly vibrant one. It has scenes of stillness that get broken up by scenes of violence here and there.

Low Frequency Extension: The low-end LFE subwoofer channel compliments the scenes of violence, because these scenes feature people firing rifles and what not. The LFE gives these scenes that extra “oomph” they require.

Surround Sound Presentation: There are a couple of scenes that use the rear channels for effect, but they’re predominately used for ambience. The flashback scenes in the creek use the surround sound channels to great effect.

Dialogue Reproduction: The Dry is primarily a dialogue driven film, with Australian accents, but levels are pristine. I did not have problem understanding what was being said down under.

Extras 

The special features are limited on this Blu-ray. There are about six of them but combined, the running time is still under twenty minutes or so. They are more informative than the usual stock featurettes, but all too brief.

• Homecoming
• Page to Screen
• Jane Harper’s Day on Set
• Two Timelines
• Falk and Gretchen
• Filming in the Wimmera Region

 

Summary 

The Dry was a breath of Outback-neo-noir fresh air. I was glued to my seat and the Blu-ray was terrific in terms of video and audio playback. The supplemental materials could have been beefed up but some of the technical behind-the-scenes featurettes were neat. The Dry is highly recommended!

 

The Dry is released on

Blu-ray January 18, 2022!

ORDER NOW!

Paid Advertising Link