Drowning Dry () is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Laurynas Bareiša starring Gelmine Glemzaite, Agne Kaktaite, Giedrius Kiela, and Paulius Markevicius.
A Lithuanian-Latvian co-production, the film premiered at the 77th Locarno Film Festival, where Bareiša received the Pardo for Best Direction while the film's principal cast was recognized with the Pardo for Best Performance. It was selected as Lithuanian's entry for the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, but was not nominated.
Premise Ernesta and her sister Justė gather at a lakeside cabin for a weekend getaway with their husbands (Lukas and Tomas, respectively) and children. The vacation takes a dark turn when Justė's daughter falls into the lake, unable to swim to safety. Details about the accident and its aftermath are revealed in a series of flashbacks as the family tries to move on from the tragedy.
Cast Gelminė Glemžaitė as Ernesta Paulius Markevičius as Lukas, Ernesta's husband Agnė Kaktaitė as Justė, Ernesta's sister Giedrius Kiela as Tomas, Justė's husband
Production Laurynas Bareiša wrote, directed, and served as cinematographer for Drowning Dry, which was produced through his company Afterschool Production. In developing the script, Bareiša consulted with medical professionals to learn more about dry drowning.
Release
Drowning Dry premiered on 10 August 2024 in the Concorso Internazionale section of the Locarno Film Festival.
Reception Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on six critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert.com gave the film three and a half out of four stars and wrote, "Part of the joy of Drowning Dry is watching Bareisa's work, taking note of the choices he makes in shot composition and perspective, his use of mirrors, and—most memorably—repetition. The scenes unfold mostly in one take, and there isn't a 'stock' shot in the whole film. Close-ups are rare. Drowning Dry holds you at arm's length, but I found it more moving—and unsettling—because of that."
Accolades Award Ceremony date Category Recipient(s) Result Ref. Locarno Film Festival 17 August 2024 Golden Leopard Drowning Dry Best Direction Award Laurynas Bareiša Best Performance Award Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela, Paulius Markevičius
See also List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Lithuanian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links