"Dig" is a deeply psychological narrative that uses few words. The expansive, beautiful and lonely visuals and the haunting soundtrack serve to isolate the audience with the protagonist, Mike, as he searches for answers - and though the film only ventures into the surreal as a form of artistic expression, it is a strange and unsettling place to be.
The spaces between the dialogue talk to us of memory and its accuracy, loss, perception, and of things that those we love keep hidden from our view; as the film progresses, Mike is pulled farther away from his supportive and loving family, and into the dark corners of his father's mind through the detritus he left behind - bits of paper, scraps of conversation, a video.
Mike's discoveries are left unclear, up for interpretation by Mike and the audience; though Belyeu does present an explanation for what Mike discovers, it's never entirely ironed out. The denouement is gradual and vague, leaving us to think about to what extent "facts" about any person are objective rather than interpreted and psychological.
It's hard to believe that "Dig" is Belyeu's debut as a writer and as a director; it's a stunning, complex film. However, there are some aspects of the film that bring down its strengths.
I saw "Dig" at its very first theatre appearance, at the Alamo South Lamar, at an invitation-only event; the film may have changed substantially or not at all since I viewed it, so it's best to keep that in mind when reading my comments.
It was early in the morning; we watched the film over breakfast. I brought my Spanish-speaking husband with me, as he'd expressed interest in attending and has a sharp eye.
Note that he does not speak Mexican or Latin-American Spanish; he is from Spain, and as such his comments might not apply. However, he thought that the attempt at Spanish in the film fell short of the mark, and that there were copy-editing errors in the script and the subtitles both that should have been addressed - a pity, given the appearance of Spanish-speaking actors.
We also took note of the inexperience of some of the actors, most notably Jordan Jones (Mike); we thought that perhaps a more experienced director could have pushed them into better performances. Jones' performance is heavily reliant on his scenery, which is often a better and more eloquent actor than he.
Overall, this is a beautiful film, and it well-deserves its place at the next Austin Film Festival. I've been trying to get my hands on promotional material for weeks (my fault, not theirs), which shows my commitment to spreading the word - and I want to, because this film is very deserving of attention.
Reviewed by Kate Tracy, of Loudhouse Productions.
(Please note that my opinions in this review are entirely my own, and not representative of those belonging to Loudhouse Productions or Loudhouse Records in any way.)
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