Federal agent Aaron Falk returns to his home town of Kiewarra in Victoria to attend the funeral of his childhood friend Luke Hadler, who has allegedly killed his wife Karen and their son Billy before taking his own life.

In flashbacks, it is revealed that Falk left town twenty years earlier to escape harassment when he was suspected in the death of his girlfriend Ellie.

Upon his return, he finds many of the townspeople are still angry towards him, particularly Ellie's father Mal and her cousin Grant who brand him a liar and a murderer.

Falk also interviews Scott Whitlam, the local school principal and Karen's boss, who explains that although she and Luke had some money trouble, they did not appear to have any serious problems.

When they catch up to him, Whitlam admits to his gambling addiction, stealing money from the school to pay his debts, and murdering the Hadler family to cover up his fraud.

Falk visits the rocky area that he and Ellie went to frequently; he finds her old backpack, which contains a journal noting that she intended to run away because her father, Mal, was physically and sexually abusing her - as he had her mother, causing her to flee.

Falk says goodbye to Ellie, takes the backpack as evidence to clear his name, and walks back into town along the riverbed; which is now completely dry.

[8] Eric Bana starred in the lead role of Aaron Falk, with Genevieve O'Reilly as Gretchen and Keir O'Donnell as Raco.

The site's critics consensus reads: "A slow-burning crime drama anchored by a solid central performance from Eric Bana, The Dry offers gripping thrills for genre fans.

[19] The Guardian gave a positive review, saying "The film remains rock solid throughout: taut, tough and tense, matching wide-open spaces with uncomfortably close drama.