I love history. I also love underdogs and unsung heroes, which is why I found "The Dig" so appealing. "The Dig" tells Basil Brown's story and his historic discovery of the Sutton Hoo treasure in Suffolk, England. Haven't heard of the Sutton Hoo treasure? Neither had I, but it's a discovery that literally rewrote history.
It's 1939 and England is on the brink of World War II. Widower Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) has wondered who lay beneath the many mounds of her estate. She turns to Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes), a local excavator and amateur archeologist from a local museum, to find who or what secrets they may hold. Brown believes anything that could have been there is long gone from previous treasure seekers, but a mishap at the site brings Brown some clarity, and he moves his sights to the largest mound on the property.
As the dig progresses, he finds evidence that treasure seekers had dug at the site but stopped just short of what turned out to the remains of an 80-foot long ship. And while that would be interesting enough, it's what the vessel held that would rewrite their establishments understanding of the Anglo-Saxon period in England.
Pretty's urgency with the project is primarily due to her declining health. Brown and Pretty's connection lies mainly in the fact that Brown's work is preserving both the historical significance of the mounds as well as Pretty's legacy.
The sad part is you don't call persons like Brown unsung heroes for nothing. Although Brown excavated the site, his contributions would largely go unnoticed when the treasure was revealed to the public. It would be several years later that Brown would finally receive the recognition he deserved.
Where "The Dig" really excels is in its restraint. There are so many motivations and emotions bubbling just under the surface, and Simon Stone, working from a screenplay by Moira Buffini, lets them simmer and never boil over. Some would complain that it takes away from the film's potential emotional impact, but in the case of "The Dig," it gives the film an undercurrent of tension that builds nicely to an end that satisfies on almost every level.
Fiennes is one of my favorite actors and he doesn't disappoint here. Always the chameleon, I don't believe I've ever seen Fiennes on screen, as he embodies every role. In "The Dig" he's able to convey powerful emotions with the slightest of gestures and it's his powerfully restrained performance that lends an air of grandiose to a film that takes place on an estate in southern England but traverses centuries of history.
One of my favorite scenes of the movie is when Edith's young son Robert (Archie Barnes) realizes his mother is sicker than she claims and Brown comforts him by telling him the truth of life – we all fail, but we must do what we can while we can.
While Fiennes commands the screen, Mulligan is equally mesmerizing. Her stoic portrayal of Pretty rivals Fiennes and her tender interactions as a mother is lovely. The supporting cast of Lilly James, Ben Chaplin, Ken Stott and Johnny Flynn is superb as well.
"The Dig" is a weightier film that one might realize at first glance. There's the story of an ailing mother, a young child coming to terms with the loss of his father and the imminent loss of his mother, forbidden love and a proud man whose most significant life work titters on the whims of those in power above him. It's a powerfully beautiful film in both story and scope.