By Seth Lukas Hynes
Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Starring Eric Bana and Anna Torv
Rated M
4/5
Based on the novel by Jane Harper, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is an engrossing, atmospheric mystery film that isn’t quite as good as the first film.
When five women, including whistleblower Alice (Anna Torv), embark on a wilderness corporate retreat but only four return, detective Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) resolves to find Alice or uncover what happened to her.
Torv is phenomenal as Alice, a steely woman grappling with the elements and suspicion from dangerous people, and Bana is once again authoritative yet sensitive as Detective Falk. Like the first film, The Dry 2 weaves together layers of flashbacks for tension on multiple fronts.
Throughout the ill-fated retreat, we learn reasons every member may hate Alice, with Deborra-Lee Furness as Jill, the contemptible yet compelling leader of the group.
As their situation grows increasingly dire, we gain hints of a serial killer and see Falk’s own tragic childhood connection to the mountain ranges where Alice went missing.
The beautiful cinematography frames the Victorian forest as misty and lush but cold and claustrophobic, contrasting with the arid, open outback setting of the first film.
The Dry 2 has a grand yet moody orchestral score, but the sound mixing can be a little messy in some scenes.
It’s a shame that the film’s main conflict, including some fuzzy corporate intrigue, is less interesting than the gripping flashbacks. Despite an oncoming storm, the investigation into Alice’s disappearance has a surprising lack of urgency, partly due to Falk’s relative detachment: while he has some responsibility for Alice, Falk lacks the close personal stakes he had in the first film.
A solid mystery film more concerned with the past than the present, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is playing in most Victorian cinemas.
