Force of Nature: The Dry 2
This is an opportunity for movie critics to watch and review some films they might not normally watch. The 2021 release “The Dry” was one of them – a tense and gloomy drama/thriller based on Jane Harper’s bestselling novel (the first novel in the series). It stars Eric Bana playing Melbourne police officer Aaron Falk, who returns to his hometown and is drawn into a world of secrets and mysteries.
Unfortunately, “Force of Nature: The Dry 2,” also directed by Connolly, based on the second novel in Jane Harper’s “Aaron Falk” series, fails to grasp its complexities and fails to connect with its story. The “Dry 2” in the title is misleading, as it is not a sequel. It is a stand-alone, in which Aron is a common character. The film is good in both structure and acting, but it only gives a hint of depth, it does not have depth.
Force of Nature: The Dry 2 Movie Details
| Key Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Release Date | February 8, 2024 (Australia) |
| Director | Robert Connolly |
| Box Office | $5.7 million |
| Based On | Force of Nature; by Jane Harper |
| Music | Peter Raeburn |
| Production Companies | Screen Australia; Film Victoria; Made Up Stories; Arenamedia; Pick Up Truck Pictures |
A glimpse of the story
There is a lot of potential in its story. Five women go on a corporate retreat where they have to walk through a rainforest (or something similar) to build teamwork and be more effective in the workplace. Only four women make it out of the rainforest. Everyone has a different story about their missing coworker, and they’re all suspicious about what might have happened during that fateful hike. Melbourne police officer Aaron Falk and his partner Carmen (Jacqueline McKenzie) arrive on the scene to investigate the case. Aron has two levels of involvement in this case: professional and personal.
Reference point
The most obvious reference point is another Australian film, Peter Weir’s “Picnic at Hanging Rock”, where two girls and their teacher disappear during a picnic, without leaving a trace. Margaret Atwood’s horrifying 1989 story “Death by Landscape” tells a similar story. “Death by landscape” is a good description of these stories, where the surroundings are so imposing, either visually or poetically and symbolically, that they swallow the people whole. The landscape in “The Dry” was dry and cool. The “Force of Nature” landscape is dense, wet, and green. Both scenarios make great demands on the human beings who unfortunately enter them. Andrew Comis’ cinematography captures the rainforest in all its vastness and confusion.
Cast and characters
“Force of Nature” has five great female characters, and the cast is fantastic. Jill (Deborra-Lee Furness) leads the way, holds a senior position in the company, and is married to the company’s founder. Beth (Sissy Stringer) and Bree (Lucy Ansel) are sisters, and Lauren (Robin McLeavy) is Alice’s sister (if I’m not mistaken. This was not established). Two pairs of sisters working in the same company sounds like an excuse, but let’s leave it. The irascible Alice (Anna Torv) is the group’s main point of contention. Nobody loves him. When women take the wrong path and become extremely misguided, they are too busy trying to