The Dig (2021) is a fictional account of the unearthing of Sutton Hoo Royal Burial Ground treasures in England in 1939. Director Simon Stone has given an engaging film. Available on Netflix.

Not sure what is with periodic films, that too those made around the two world wars, there is an alluring charm. This one is no different. Britain is getting ready to go to war with Germany when in a quiet country farm in Suffolk, a landowner Edith Pretty engages an amateur excavator Basil Brown to dig (what appears to be burial) mounds at her estate. They are not ready for what they find in “the dig”.

During the 18th century and 19th century, most of the excavations in Britain and in the British colonies were probably done by self-trained amateurs, in the 20th century as the science evolved, official archaeologists and museums started taking a larger role. The film nicely shows the conflict between the two. Raising a boy as an ailing single mother with a huge estate is never an easy task – Carey Mulligan as Edith Pretty brings out the emotions well.  The others who shine in their roles were Ralph Fiennes as Basil Brown and Lily James as Peggy Piggott.

A good movie to watch!

Carey Mulligan as Edith Pretty and Ralph Fiennes as Basil Brown in The Dig (2021)

Carey Mulligan as Edith Pretty and Ralph Fiennes as Basil Brown in The Dig (2021)

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