The Dry (2020), directed by Robert Connolly

An horrific murder-suicide in a drought-stricken country town brings federal finance detective Aaron Falk back to the place he was drummed out of 20 years earlier. His childhood friend Luke is accused of killing his wife and son before turning the gun on himself, leaving only his baby daughter alive. Luke’s parents beg Falk to stay in Kiewarra and investigate. Could there be a link to the crime he was accused of long ago? The film is very true to Jane Harper’s bestselling book, possibly too much so, as it emulates the plot elements that stretch credulity. The cinematography is spectacular, painfully evoking the parched landscape. Frequent flashbacks threaten to become intrusive but just manage to punctuate Falk’s state of mind and provide a heartbreaking contrast between then and now. Ironically the only jarring note in the casting is Eric Bana as Aaron Falk, he is visibly older, darker and somehow less vulnerable than the character as written in the novel. But an actor as good as Bana makes it work. The film is as dark and downbeat as the book, leaving many issues realistically unresolved.