A lot is unearthed in ‘The Dig’, a new drama out of Britain; for one, and admittedly the primary discovery – the treasures that emerge from the undertaking of which the title speaks.
But the real magic behind this project is the OTHER gems uncovered…..namely the relevance of Sutton Hoo which, in a lot of ways, has never really received the recognition it deserves in text books, at least on these shores. And then there’s the touching wallop it especially delivers on the home stretch. Director Simon Stone and scriptwriter Moira Boffini (‘Jane Eyre’) cleverly tuck the emotional element away for the better part of ‘The Dig’, hiding it behind some great performances and yes, a fascinating history lesson. But as the picture comes to a close, the realization hits just how profound this tale is – and by golly, does it resonate.
Ralph Fiennes plays Basil Brown, an amateur archaeologist, though he is self described as an excavator, called to Suffolk in 1939 by Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan), a kind, quiet widow, living in her mansion on Sutton Hoo, a picturesque countryside acreage, and curious to find exactly what sits under the mysterious burial mounds on her property. Like Basil, she suspects the mounds are ancient, and both share enthusiasm for the dig, though with war brewing, the clock is not exactly on their side.
Time is an important element in ‘The Dig’, not only because the team digging away…a group that includes Basil, some of the help from the Pretty estate, Edith’s cousin and wannabe pilot Rory (Johnny Flynn), her rambunctious son Robert (Archie Barnes) a scholarly snob from the British museum (Ken Stott) and his assistants (Ben Chaplin and Lily James)….is racing against it, but the whole point of the uncovering is about our links ACROSS time, how we connect to stories from the past. It all becomes even more pertinent when we learn that time is actually running out on one of the primary people involved.
Based on the 2007 novel by John Preston, there are liberties taken with ‘The Dig’, but not enough to diminish its quiet brilliance. Unhurried in its delivery and unabashedly sentimental about its subject matter, it’s the best film out of the gate for 2021. Granted, I’m a sucker for movies of historical significance….especially ones that make you think…..so I dig it.
