Sometimes, in order to better understand an event and its consequences, it’s best to experience it out of order. Or rather, not in chronological order, but in a sort of emotional order. That’s the general idea behind Lithuanian director Laurynas Bareiša’s Drowning Dry (Seses), a film that is structured in a fragmented way.
The movie starts as a laid-back, slow-paced narrative about family and relationships, and keeps changing in tone and purpose as it takes us from present to past and future. This all may sound a tad confusing, but it really isn’t. Despite not being presented in chronological order, the film makes sense on an emotional level, and that’s all it needs for its story to work.
As Drowning Dry begins, we see Ernesta (Gelminė Glemžaitė) going to her family’s country home alongside husband Lukas (Paulius Markevičius) and their son. They’re accompanied by Ernesta’s sister, Juste (Agnė Kaktaitė), her husband Tomas (Giedrius Kiela) and their daughter. Once they arrive, tensions arise within the couples, and the viewer begins to think the movie might start narrating their trials and tribulations, feeling like a classic relationship drama. But then, tragedy strikes.
Shot from afar, the scene shows us what appears to be Juste and Tomas’ daughter drowning in the lake. But before we can confirm exactly what happened to her, Drowning Dry cuts to another time and place. And this is when the guesswork starts for the viewer: what happened to the little girl? If this is supposed to be the future, why is Lukas not present? And what happened to both Ernesta and Justes’ marriages? Logically, the film does answer all these questions eventually, but the fact that it keeps one enthralled in these stories, all apparently linked by the tragic event at the lake, should be praised.
This is especially true considering that fragmented and glacially paced movies have the potential to be either frustrating or boring. But that isn’t the case with Drowning Dry. The film does a great job of establishing its different central relationships, showing with clarity the problems these couples have and the way the men decide to behave in front of the women and the kids. Drowning Dry uses this last aspect to include a couple of red herrings, as well as references to future (or past) events.
For example, as we see during one of the earlier scenes, Tomas is a terrible driver, and thus we expect something bad to happen during one of the later driving scenes. And Lukas is an MMA fighter, which makes his sudden disappearance during the “future” timeline a tad suspect. Some of these elements end up being relevant and other ones do not, but Drowning Dry is clever enough to use them to keep the viewer invested in the story.
Going back to the film’s structure, the reason it works is that it uses the drowning scene as the emotional backbone of everything that came before it, and everything that comes after it. Thus, it gradually reveals the consequences of said scene as the story progresses, making the viewer change their opinion constantly. At first, it does seem like the girl drowned and died at the lake. But then, something else is revealed, which changes our perception of said event and the characters. Drowning Dry is the kind of film that appears to enjoy pulling the rug from under the viewer, but does it in such a satisfying and intelligent way that it doesn’t generate frustration or anger. The story has been well thought-out so that these revelations and narrative changes make sense, both emotionally and logically.
Now, it is worth mentioning that Drowning Dry is not a film for everyone. I didn’t find it to be confusing or tedious, but it does move at a slow pace, demanding patience from the viewer, especially during its first twenty minutes or so. At first, it unravels like a “slice-of-life” movie, showing us the characters interacting at the lakehouse; the two couples having different problems and the kids playing and goofing around. And then it uses multiple timelines to make a point, which demands complete attention from the viewer. Additionally, the fact that Bareisa favours wide shots and long takes rather than close-ups of characters’ expressions adds to the film’s dreamy tone, but might make it a little difficult for some viewers to connect with the story.
Nevertheless, if given the chance, Drowning Dry should be able to emotionally resonate with an audience. Exploring the effects of a tragic event on the lives of many characters throughout several years, the movie shows us how difficult it is to move on, to start over after a horrible loss. It conveys the importance of small decisions and moments and the way our actions can have a ripple effect on the future. And it does all this by telling a moving and deeply human story, which we sometimes see from afar, experiencing it out of order, like a series of memories or dreams. Despite Drowning Dry’s sad tone, though, one does get the sense that there is still hope for a better future; not one without loss, but one full of life and new beginnings.
Official trailer:
- Mi calificación
