What is The Dry about?
The Dry is a 2020 Australian mystery thriller starring Eric Bana as Federal Police investigator Aaron Falk, who returns to his drought-stricken hometown for a funeral and is drawn into investigating a murder.
The film is based on the best-selling 2016 novel by Australian author Jane Harper. It was directed by Robert Connolly.
Falk's childhood friend Luke is believed to have killed his wife and son before taking his own life. Falk stays in the town of Kiewarra to look into the case, while also confronting an unsolved death from his own youth.
Drought and secrets
The dry landscape of rural Victoria plays a central role, reflecting tension, suspicion and grief in a farming community suffering from drought.
The film was shot in towns in western Victoria's Wimmera region, during a real drought, which gave the landscape its parched, cracked look. Genevieve O'Reilly, Keir O'Donnell and Bebe Bettencourt appeared alongside Bana.
The Dry was one of the highest-grossing Australian films of its year. A sequel, Force of Nature: The Dry 2, based on Harper's second novel and set in the Victorian forests, was released in 2024, with Bana returning as Falk.
Did You Know?
The film was released in Australian cinemas on 1 January 2021 after its premiere was delayed by the pandemic.