The Dig

I love stories like this—history, archaeology, and based on true events. I was all set to give it five stars, especially with Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan in the lead roles. But halfway through, the film just lost steam. It turned into a series of scenic shots of the English countryside with not much happening. It felt like it was reaching for a sense of poetry but never quite got there. (02/02/2021)

The first half is superb. There is no shortage of excitement in the gradual unveiling of the great find, the pre-war atmosphere is palpable and all it takes is a few shots of fortifying London and ominous plane flyovers. But with the arrival of Lily James, it slowly dilutes into a cheap melodrama with some philosophising about life and death, and all that is left for a worthwhile cinematic experience is the nice cinematography and the moving music. The director simply wanted to say a lot, even with a lot of insight, but he put too much on his shoulders and was unable to carry it in the second half. (07/02/2021)

A film I fell for based solely on how beautiful it looks. The breathtaking English countryside, views into the unknown distance, inhospitable storms or, conversely, clear nights and melancholic sunsets. Each of these views easily had me, and when combined with a story full of desire, longing, and hope, I was only able to shed a few tears in the end face to face with this fairytale based largely on reality. We all love movies that we expect a lot from that still exceed those expectations by a large margin. This is one of them. Seriously, it felt as if I was digging, working, hoping, and loving right along with them. (17/04/2021)

An interesting film that I wouldn't recommend to hyperactive people, as the sluggish pace might make you go nuts. I was certainly far from bored, the film reminded me of the Detectorists, which had a similar vibe, even though it was about people that archaeologists would only look at with contempt. The film is based on true events and deals with the circumstances of an important archaeological find, but for me, it was mainly a film about people. And I liked it. 4*+ (11/04/2021)

It's exactly because of films like this that I like to watch films so much. The content captivates, but it doesn't say much. The director is unknown, but he chose an interesting subject and got a great cast, so... What is it going to be? In the end it is such a beautiful story, in which there is digging literally and metaphorically, a story that entertains and tugs at the heartstrings, from which you learn something, and by the end credits you have seen something what you will be happy to see again. (30/01/2021)