The Dig: A Quiet and Warm Film!

The British movie The Dig from 2021 based on a true story is a quiet drama about the excavating of Sutton Hoo. Two burial mounds from the early Middle Ages dated 6 and 7 Century are found near Woodbridge in Suffolk.

The film stars Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) who is a self-taught archaeologist and excavator. In 1939 the landowner Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) hires him to excavate a number of burial mounds that she has on her land. Despite initial disagreements about Basil Brown’s pay, he begins digging with the assistance of a couple of workers from the estate. He discovers during the digging that what they are excavating are not Viking graves as the local museum specialists think but a gigantic burial ground from the early Middle Ages presumably a king buried in a big ship.

British Museum hears about the burial ground and takes over the excavating as it is of great national importance. Basil Brown is quickly being sidetracked and has since been completely forgotten until recent years when his groundbreaking work is finally recognized. 

There are parallel stories running in the film. The estate owner Edith Pretty’s serious illness that some years after takes her life. A marriage which breaks up between two of the archeologists during the excavating when it turns out that the newly wedded husband isn’t interested in women after all. The close friendship between Basil Brown and Edith Pretty’s young son. A romance between Edith Pretty’s cousin who helps Basil Brown in the diggings and the neglected bride who can see her husband preferring men. 

The Dig is a quiet, epic film which is dominated by dark colors for good reasons. The Second World War is close and in addition Edith Pretty’s illness worsens. But despite these fatal facts the film is also proof that ordinary people with courage, joy of life and stubbornness can stand up against arrogant authorities. Ralph Fiennes as Basil Brown and Carey Mulligan as Edith Pretty make up a fantastic couple in the story. 

The Dig is a remarkable film and very watchable. 

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