Rick Devereux

Wonderful film for all ages. Cinematography spectacularly colorful in the kelp forest amidst the coral creatures just off the craggy coast of S. Africa. An intimately told story by the narrator and ‘ocean forest’ observer par excellence, Craig Foster, with the assistance of teenage son Tom Foster. Get to know them, and fall in love with one of Earth’s most intelligent, different creatures during her short life cycle from after the miracle of surviving most or all of her half million siblings to surviving brutal attacks by determined, vicious pajama sharks using mollusk shells as a fortress, to her slow decline after mating and giving birth to another generation.

Simon Stone’s direction doesn’t allow the camera to linger on dramatic scenes in The Dig. Sometimes the camera leaves a scene without ending the conversation, allowing it to continue during either what is going on elsewhere, or later or maybe even earlier, judging by the time of day. The effect isn’t abrupt or jumpy, and is not a narrative device like a flashback or forward, but he does it often enough to reinforce one of the themes which motivates all the lead characters in the story: their fascination with a fluid perception of passing time. The leads are all portrayed as amateur archeologists in the eyes of the supporting actors, who played as snobby, greedy museum professionals. Yet it is the amateurs’ quest to connect with former, far distant-seeming worlds which uncovers the great mystery at the center of the story, which from the novel of the same name is based on actual history. When the camera does linger, it is usually on the flat landscape of coastal Suffolk in the east of England. The periodic wide shots of fields and sky pause the drama, generally without actors placed within them. The effect slows down the pace, allowing the viewer a pause to get perspective on the story.