The Dry
IFC Films | Release Date: May 21, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Rolling StoneK. Austin CollinsMay 24, 2021
The Dry is solid and appreciably sad but, for all the virtues of its rough symbolism and intriguing backstory, almost too jampacked with discovery for its own good. Read full review
60
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldMay 20, 2021
The many red herrings and the dark-secret finale recall the reliable, compulsive appeal of a page-turner, although the tensions don’t always feel fully translated to the rhythms and demands of a film. Read full review
60
The New YorkerAnthony LaneMay 17, 2021
The plot of The Dry, it has to be said, is not a model of elegance and plausibility. I sniffed out the villain, who barely merits the description, a fair way off, and the dénouement, though it involves the threat of fire-starting, is the dampest of squibs. Yet the film has serious staying power. Read full review
60
Screen DailySarah WardFeb 25, 2021
While little here eschews genre conventions, Bana’s weathered performance and striking work by DoP Stefan Duscio ensure that this is a gripping-enough watch, even as it ticks a torrent of familiar boxes. Read full review
60
Time OutStephen A RussellJan 26, 2021
Bana’s taut lead performance is an apt match for the film’s haunted spirit. Forbidding visuals like vast, weather-worn boulders split in two by mighty gum trees grant this dark tale just enough Australian gothic to conjure up the ghost of Picnic at Hanging Rock. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesMichael OrdoñaMay 20, 2021
Bana is, as always, a very watchable screen presence; the film is not bad. But there’s a spark missing that could make the story burn, and the film’s abrupt ending will leave viewers high and “Dry.” Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChris BarsantiMay 18, 2021
The particulars of the central mystery are mundane, to the point where the film itself doesn’t spend too much time digging into them. Read full review
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