The Dig (2018 film)

The Dig
Official theatrical poster
Directed by	Andy Tohill Ryan Tohill
Written by	Stuart Drennan
Produced by	Brian J. Falconer
Starring	Moe Dunford Lorcan Cranitch Emily Taaffe Francis Magee Katherine Devlin
Cinematography	Angus Mitchell
Edited by	Helen Sheridan
Music by	James Everett
Production companies	Out of Orbit Wolfhound Media
Distributed by	Element Pictures (Ireland)
Release dates	21 April 2018 (2018-04-21)(Belfast Film Festival) 26 April 2019 (2019-04-26)(United Kingdom)
Running time	97 minutes
Countries	Ireland United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	$23,839 [1]

The Dig is a 2018 Irish drama film directed by Andy Tohill and Ryan Tohill, from a screenplay by Stuart Drennan. ^[2] The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and was produced by Brian J. Falconer for Northern Irish firm Out of Orbit. ^[3]

Plot

A father, Sean McKenna (Cranitch), becomes obsessed with finding the body of his murdered daughter, Niamh. The murderer, Ronan Callahan (Dunford), is released from jail after serving a 15-year sentence. At first, he wants Sean off his land, but then decides to help dig for Niamh's missing body in the bog. He pours the old alcohol in his house down the drain, but eventually drinks shots in a pub, hoping to remember the act of murder and where he buried the girl. He develops a relationship with the victim's sister, Roberta (Taaffe). Ronan has flashbacks that revealed his father had abused his mother, who died when he was 14. Ronan and Sean vow not to stop digging. Ronan eventually remembers a detail that proves he is not the murderer. ^[4]

Cast

• Moe Dunford as Ronan Callahan
• Lorcan Cranitch as Sean McKenna
• Emily Taaffe as Roberta McKenna
• Francis Magee as Murphy
• Katherine Devlin as Siobhan

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 75% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. ^[5]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Recipients	Result	Ref.
2018	British Independent Film Awards	The Discovery Award	Brian J. Falconer, Andy Tohill, Ryan Tohill, Stuart Drennan	Nominated	[6]
	Cork International Film Festival	Gradam Spiorad na Féile (Spirit of the Festival Award)	Andy Tohill & Ryan Tohill	Nominated	[6]
	Galway Film Fleadh	Feature Film Award	—	Won	[6]
2019	Dublin Film Critics' Circle Awards	Best Irish Film		7th place	[6]
	Newport Beach Film Festival	Breakthrough Award - Breakthrough Artist	Moe Dunford	Won	[6]
		Jury Award - Best Actor		Won	[6]
2020	IFTA Film & Drama Awards	Best Film 2019	Brian J. Falconer	Nominated	[6]
		Best Actor in a Lead Role - Film	Moe Dunford	Nominated	[6]
		Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Film	Lorcan Cranitch	Nominated	[6]
		Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Film	Emily Taaffe	Nominated	[6]

References

1. "The Dig (2019) - Financial Information".
2. "The Dig". Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
3. Abbatescianni, Davide (18 January 2018). "The Dig wraps principal photography". Cineuropa. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
4. thefilmstage.com The Dig review Jared Mobarak, September 9, 2018
5. "The Dig". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 10 October 2021.
6. The Dig - IMDb , retrieved 16 February 2021

External links

• The Dig at IMDb
• The Dig at Rotten Tomatoes