Close sisters and their young families cope in the aftermath of a lakeside vacation’s tragic turn of events.Drowning Dry, Lithuania’s entry forBest International Feature Filmat the upcoming 97th Academy Awards, uses a non-linear structure to weave an intriguing narrative of shock, grief, and facing a new normal after life has been irrevocably altered. Writer/director Laurynas Bareiša allows his story to unfold at a glacial pace while the mystery of what actually happened hovers over the plot like a haunting specter.This slow-burn methodologymay try some viewers' patience, but Bareiša doesn’t give answers in a straightforward manner. Uncertainty and eventual understanding are part of the process when moving on from tragedy, after all.
The film introduces us to the tattooed and muscled Lukas (Paulius Markevicius) soon after defeating his opponent in an MMA fighting match. His wife, Ernesta (Gelmine Glemzaite), and son, Kristupas (Herkus Serapas), join him in the locker room with Ernesta’s older sister Juste (Agne Kaktaite), her husband Tomas (Giedrius Kiela), and their daughter, Urte (Olivija Eva Viliüné). Tomas can’t help but show off his expensive new truck to Kristupas as both families pack their cars with groceries. They drive together to the sisters' family cottage to celebrate Lukas' victory, leading to some drunken revelry between the women and tense machismo between the men. The tension will escalate terribly in the coming days.
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Drowning Dry
Drowning Dry tells the story of two sisters, Ernesta (Gelminė Glemžaitė) and Justė (Agnė Kaktaitė), whose lives are irrevocably altered after a near-tragic accident involving one of their children during a weekend getaway with their spouses, Tomas (Giedrius Kiela) and Lukas (Paulius Markevičius).
The two families prepare to go swimming the next day. Kristupas and Urte have been mischievous, but their parents don’t know to what extent. Everyone runs to the dock to jump in the water. Tomas playfully tosses the children in the water while Lukas swims nearby. Ernesta and Juste turn away for a brief second before realizing something has gone horribly wrong.
Drowning Dryis told along multiple timelines of different lengths. The first act at the lake is the longest sequence. It establishes key character dynamics before a significant time jump. This is done in an instant without warning. The audience is purposely left to ponder how we got to this point. The absence of several characters serves as a clever feint before they pop up again. But there is a distinct physical change to the sisters, who are now in coats and new hairstyles. The plot then thickens with a completely unexpected interaction that reframes what did or didn’t occur at the lake.
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Bareiša is careful not to exaggerate anyone’s behavior. There’s no arguing or direct confrontation, but there’s a palpable underlying tension between several characters. Tomas clearly feels emasculated by the chiseled Lukas, but he’s far more successful financially. His wealth is obvious through minor flaunting. On the surface, Tomas and Juste seem happy, but we quickly learn she’s been in therapy for some time. She and Ernesta humorously mock the exercises to alleviate their importance. It’s a source of playful humor to cover feelings that couldn’t be explained without the looming devastation. The sisters finally express themselves when they are forced to deal with change.
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Drowning Dry Is Utterly Realistic
Bareiša pulls triple duty as the film’s director, writer, and cinematographer. He’s masterful at capturing intimate moments through an unvarnished perspective.Drowning Dryhas a cinéma vérité approach that follows the cast through natural progression. Nothing seems staged, as the characters act and behave organically like any shared family vacation. This is perhaps Bareiša’s most salient lesson. You can’t prepare for the unexpected. Kids playing, sisters dancing together, men smoking cigars on the patio, everyone going for a swim — it is the definition of normalcy until fate cruelly intervenes.
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Drowning Dryhas a limited score and soundtrack. The lack of music is key to plot development and stoking unease. Two songs pivotal to the plot are only heard diegetically, because the cast is playing them in a scene. Bareiša doesn’t want anything artifical distracting from the rising action. Music is often a giveaway of something negative forthcoming. Hearing theJawstheme while someone splashes in the water broadcasts impending doom. Bareiša doesn’t tip his hand in any sense, but also doesn’t show tragedy. This is another nod to a cold truth. You don’t have to see death to experience the fallout.
Too Calm for a Tragedy
Drowning Drycan be criticized for being too subtle. The lack of outbursts and emotional breakdowns crack the veneer of realism. Tragedy doesn’t evoke a calm response, even after the passage of time. Bareiša needed to show at least a tad of the sisters hitting that rock bottom of inconsolable anguish. The fact we don’t see them at their lowest and most vulnerable almost seems like a cop-out. There are major dramatic differences in watching a vase shatter as opposed to gluing the cracked shards.Drowning Dryis thoughtful and well-made, but honestly lacks the visceral punch of the terrible loss it explores.
Drowning Dry, originally titledSesės(Sisters), has Lithuanian dialogue with English subtitles. It is a production of Afterschool and Trickster Pictures.It will be released theatrically in the US early next from Dekanalog.
