Otherwise, the past will continue to be forgotten. Since almost all of the attention will go to the war in the near future, clearing the dig site quickly is essential for the archaeologists. In many moments when the characters are interacting, warplanes interrupt conversations as they fly overhead in preparation for the coming conflict. In the beginning of the film, Basil says, “That speaks, doesn’t it? The past.” This idea is present throughout the film. One of the most striking themes of the film is this: Looking at the past can be a comfort when facing an uncertain future. While this is not a fast-paced movie, its slow-burn nature is balanced by the interesting personas seen on the screen.

Phillips (Ken Stott) who inevitably takes all the credit for the work accomplished by Basil Brown and young Peggy Piggott (Lily James). Then there’s the educated, bossy and lazy Mr. Pretty (Carey Mulligan) is a widow with a gloomy future and an adorable son who wants to make his own discoveries one day. Fiennes plays his character with humility and masterfully replicates Mr. Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) is a countryman with his head in books and a heart of gold. Each individual relationship between the characters has a different dynamic which drives the complexities of the story. The diverse personalities of the characters bring a heartwarming element to the movie that could have been very dry given the subject matter. As word of the amazing artifacts they discover spreads throughout England, archaeologists of all backgrounds come into play to generate complex and intertwining storylines as the characters work together to uncover human history. All of this takes place in 1939 England, complicating matters further and creating a race against time as the country prepares for war against Germany. Based on a true story, the movie follows Edith Pretty as she hires excavator Basil Brown to dig in the fields on her property where she and her late husband believed something from the past was buried below. Directed by Simon Stone, “The Dig” is an understated movie that will surprise all by how invested its audience will be.

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