If you were to make a list of childhood dream careers, archeologist would no doubt rank highly, alongside astronaut and star athlete. And it’s easy to see why: nothing is more thrilling than the promise of discovery, the idea that the next great buried treasure could be a shovelful of dirt away. It’s a sentiment that’s made films like the Indiana Jones series both iconic and irresistible. But there is also a sad beauty to archeology, which offers us a window into our past while reminding us of our fleeting mortality. We can’t help but wonder what future archeologists will find of us, what stories they will imagine based on the things that outlast our existence.
These themes are explored in the winsome drama The Dig, which follows the unearthing of one of the greatest archeological finds in English history, Sutton Hoo. In Suffolk, England in 1938, wealthy widow Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan, in a complete 180 from her Promising Young Woman role) hires working class excavator Basil Brown (Ralph Feinnes) to dig up large burial mounds on her property.
As Brown uncovers an undisturbed ship burial and its accompanying treasures, fellow archeologists and upper crust experts arrive from the British Museum, intent on taking over the historic discovery. There is also an inquest into who can actually lay claim to the artifacts, Edith or the government. But that class war drama takes a backseat to the central story, which is the relationship between the fragile Edith and the taciturn Basil.
Based on the 2007 novel by John Preston (inspired by true events), the film seems headed towards a romance between the two, but thankfully pivots to a story of friendship (a welcome development for people turned off by the 23 year age difference between the leads). As Edith struggles with health issues, Basil becomes a father figure to her precocious son Robert (Archie Barnes). The two adults develop a friendship based on mutual respect, intellectual curiosity, and an implicit trust that they share. It’s the kind of relationship that we don’t get nearly enough of in film and television, a platonic bond between members of the opposite sex. Plus, it gives us Basil’s sweetly supportive relationship with his wife May (Monica Dolan).
As more archeologists descend onto the dig, we meet Edith’s handsome cousin Rory (Emma.‘s Johnny Flynn) and unhappily married archeologist couple Stuart (Ben Chaplin) and Peggy Piggott (Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again‘s Lily James). Their interpersonal relationships unfold as, all around them, Britain prepares for war. As they dig through the lost treasures of the Anglo-Saxon artifacts, they are continually confronted by the very real history they are living through, as RAF planes soar overhead and Rory receives orders to join up.
The film, written by Harlots creator Moira Buffini and directed by Simon Stone (The Daughter), showcases the rolling hills of Suffolk and the idyllic quiet of the English countryside. It is beautifully shot, lending a quiet lyricism to the film. These characters cannot stop the passage of time, but they can capture and unearth stolen moments together as time marches steadily forward.
Not a lot happens in The Dig,but that’s hardly the point. With beautiful visuals and terrific performances, the film evokes a simpler yet moving style of movie that wouldn’t be out of place in the Merchant Ivory catalogue. If you love a British period piece with a dash of history, you won’t find a better, more finely crafted film.
(featured image: LARRY HORRICKS/NETFLIX)
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