The Dry Land

The Dry Land

24/1/2010 1h 32m 4.5/10

Overview

A U.S. soldier returning home from war struggles to reconcile his experiences abroad with the life and family he left in Texas.

Director

Ryan Piers Williams

Top Billed Cast

Wilmer Valderrama

Wilmer Valderrama

Raymond Gonzales

Melissa Leo

Melissa Leo

Martha

America Ferrera

America Ferrera

Sarah

Jason Ritter

Jason Ritter

Michael

Ethan Suplee

Ethan Suplee

Jack

Evan Jones

Evan Jones

Joe Davis

Reviews

Wuchak

6/27/2021

6/10

_**Coming back to normal life in America after experiencing war**_ After a bad ambush in Iraq, a man (Ryan O'Nan) comes home to El Paso to settle back into marriage and a job at a slaughter house, but buried issues keep surfacing. He and an army buddy (Wilmer Valderrama) travel to another town to visit a wounded comrade at a VA hospital. America Ferrera plays his wife, Jason Ritter a friend and Melissa Leo his mother “The Dry Land” (2010) is a drama about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which brings to mind "Coming Home" (1978), "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989), “In Country” (1989) and "The Lucky Ones" (2007). This one plays down clichéd Hollywood-isms, keeping the story simple and totally realistic. It's a low-key, slice-of-life film depicting what it's really like for a common military guy to come home from a bad war experience in a distant land and most resembles “In Country,” albeit on a lower budget. It's simple and nothing to get overly excited about, but that's the way it was intended because that's the way it is for military guys like this. There are only a couple of lighter moments. If you want a highly entertaining example of a similar story, check out "The Lucky Ones.” The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot in El Paso, Texas, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. GRADE: B-

Similar Movies

Bridget Jones's Diary

6.7

Bridget Jones's Diary

2001

Me and You and Everyone We Know

7.0

Me and You and Everyone We Know

2005

The Rules of Attraction

6.2

The Rules of Attraction

2002

Laws of Gravity

6.8

Laws of Gravity

1992

The Man in the Trunk

3.5

The Man in the Trunk

2019