Drowning Dry Review: A Disturbing and Darkly Humorous Lithuanian Drama

      Note: This review was initially published as part of our 2024 coverage of Locarno Film Festival. Drowning Dry will be released in theaters on July 18.

      Memories can be elusive. Consider what transpires in the middle of Laurynas Bareiša’s captivating second feature: two women—specifically Ernesta (Gelminė Glemžaitė) and Juste (Agnė Kaktaitė), sisters enjoying a holiday with their respective families (each with a husband and one child, a son and a daughter)—begin to dance to a song by Donna Lewis, their routine seemingly a blend of half-forgotten moves and instinctive muscle memory. This mesmerizing moment is abruptly interrupted by their children’s request to go swimming, leading to one child seemingly drowning. Following this, the film fast-forwards, revealing Ernesta visiting a man whose life was saved by one of her deceased husband’s organs. Before the cause of the husband’s death is revealed, the narrative shifts back: the same holiday, the same sisters, the same dance, but now accompanied by Lighthouse Family. “When you’re close to tears, remember,” sings Tunde Baiyewu, “someday it’ll all be over.”

      The film’s title, Drowning Dry, refers to a medical term denoting the unfortunate occurrence of surviving an initial drowning only for the vocal cords to spasm, preventing airflow to the lungs. During a discussion in Locarno, where the film had its premiere, Bareiša noted that the “irregular repetition” typified by this condition inspired the film’s fragmented narrative structure. He also confirmed, in a more straightforward manner, that Drowning Dry, similar to his prior film Pilgrims (which won the Orrizonti award in Venice in 2021), explores themes of trauma. While this term is frequently used in festival descriptions today, Bareiša’s film stands out as a unique piece: conceptually profound in its design and themes, visually stunning in a deliberately elusive manner, and even darkly humorous at times.

      That day in Locarno started with a screening of Kurdwin Ayub’s Mond, a film about an Austrian MMA fighter hired to train the daughters of a wealthy Jordanian family. Drowning Dry followed immediately after, making its nearly identical opening scene—featuring another battered fighter at the end of a match in a UFC-style Octagon—almost jarring. This time, the fighter is Ernesta’s husband, Lukas (Paulius Markevičius), who wins his tournament but finds himself backstage afterward with a distraught Ernesta. Bareiša introduces several concerning signs in the initial sequences. The most direct of these occurs as the families head to the sisters’ inherited vacation home, where Juste’s husband, Tomas (Giedrius Kiela), performs a reckless maneuver on the road that Lukas tries to imitate. This performative male bravado evokes the kind of satire often employed by Ruben Östlund as a catalyst for his narratives. However, Bareiša uses it as a breadcrumb trail leading to tragedy.

      This sequence represents the most intense moment in a film characterized by more subtly disquieting visuals—captured by the director himself. The actors' faces are seldom shown prominently, especially in close-up. Instead, much like a memory, the characters are seen from a medium distance, moving through dimly lit spaces with their faces either turned away from the camera or cast in shadow. The cumulative effect resembles someone attempting to piece together a troubling puzzle, yet the film never fully succumbs to despair. Overwhelming emotions are largely countered by sisterly support, philosophical acceptance, or touches of dark humor. Bareiša’s second feature wrestles with profoundly serious themes, but this is a director who understands the importance of knowing when to emerge for air.

      Drowning Dry premiered at the Locarno Film Festival.