DIG TWO GRAVES
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)

CAPSULE: Teenager Jake is wracked with guilt about
her part in the accidental death of her brother Sean.
She believes she would do just about anything to get
him back. Then three mysterious figures appear to
her with an offer to restore her brother back to
being alive. But for this seemingly impossible
service they want to exact a price. DIG TWO GRAVES
was written and directed by Hunter Adams, based on
his own story. His film is moody and affecting, but
less than totally coherent, and the style of the film
puts too many obstacles in the viewer's path. Rating:
+1 (-4 to +4) or 6/10

DIG TWO GRAVES is set in 1977, though it flashes back to events of
1947. Samantha Isler plays Jake, a teenager living in a rough
mountain community. Jake has a heavy weight crushing her
emotionally. She had wanted proof she was brave enough to jump off
the side of a quarry into the water below. Her older brother had
offered to dive with her. She goes with him but in the last
instant lets go of his hand. She stands on the edge while her
brother drops into the water never to be heard from again. Now
Jake blames herself for her brother Sean's death. She knows there
is nothing she can do to bring back Sean. But then she talks to
three men, strange on several levels, who claim they can bring the
dead boy back to life. They inform her, "He is not really dead.
He is just hard to find." Jake has to decide if she can trust
these men to deliver. Trying to give Jake support is her
grandfather (in a strong performance by Ted Levine, who played the kidnapper/killer in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS), now the local
sheriff and whom the flashbacks tell us might know more than a
little about the current events.

This is a film with a strong sense of setting location, though it
is not clear what the location is. It takes place in hill country
of someplace in the Midwest. If it helps locate the setting the
film was shot in Marion, Illinois. And perhaps it borrowed some of
its texture from WINTER'S BONE.

One problem for the viewer is that it is very hard to pick up on
what is going on. That is partially intended from the story. But
much of the dialog is spoken with a Hill Country accent that is
hard to penetrate. To make matters worse, most of the film,
particularly the early parts when the characters are introduced
take place in the night without too much lighting. A few people
discuss the situation and they look a lot alike. We seem to meet
mostly men in full beards. Perhaps the best feature of the film is
the moody camerawork by Eric Maddison, catching the haunting
setting.

I rate DIG TWO GRAVES a +1 on the -4 to +4 scale or 6/10. DIG TWO
GRAVES will get a release in theaters & on demand 3/24.

Film Credits:
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2633076/combined>

What others are saying:
<https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dig_two_graves_2017>


Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 2017 Mark R. Leeper

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