Critic Reviews

• V.A. Musetto, New York Post

  It's impossible to watch the film and not realize that war is folly.

• Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times

  Williams draws upon countless earlier dramas without adding anything fresh or memorable to the discussion.

• Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

  Sincere performances elevate an underdeveloped script and awkward filmmaking.

• Christopher Kelly, Dallas Morning News

  Well-intentioned, if unevenly executed.

• Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

  Just another cost-of-war movie, you say? Yes, and that's exactly the point.

• David Fear, Time Out New York

  If we'd wanted a sermon, we'd have gone to church, thanks.

• Prairie Miller, Reelrave

  This typical covert censorship in war movies is so conventional and prevalent by now, that there's an actual office in existence called the US Army Entertainment Industry Liaison. Indeed, authenticity when it comes to locations and props, has its price.

• Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star

  Very well-made and well-acted.

• Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

  A strong first film, and with a better-honed script, Williams should prove to be a director to watch.

• Brent Simon, Shared Darkness

  A very familiar Stateside war drama -- narratively, the film just goads when it's convenient and shrinks when it suits its purposes, never feeling like an honest exploration of its characters' problems.

• Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

  Perhaps the most surprising thing about Ryan Piers Williams's gloomy post Afghan/Iraq war drama is that there aren't more such coming-home movies being made by upstart filmmakers.

• Steve Ramos, Boxoffice Magazine

  Williams and Ferrera emphasize the heartache of coming home in their Iraq War drama The Dry Land, and the result is a worthy family melodrama for the Iraq War generation.

• Nathan Rabin, AV Club

  Writer-director Ryan Piers Williams seems to be diligently working through a checklist of returning-warrior-movie clichés.

• Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

  A moving drama about an Iraq war veteran suffering from PTSD and the soul loss he experiences.

• Prairie Miller, WBAI Radio

  So is there a middle ground between supporting the troops but not condoning them? The military certainly hopes not. Which makes the film, however compassionate, a bitter pill to swallow. Or as they prescribe for whatever ails destroyed vets - Take a pill.

• Donald J. Levit, ReelTalk Movie Reviews

  'The Dry Land' is appropriately slow low-key, in keeping with the war hero's bewildered face even in stress or violence.

• Geoff Berkshire, Metromix.com

  The PTSD subject matter already feels worked over and [Ryan Piers] Williams doesn't find a new or memorable approach to take it to another level.

• Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine

  Reminiscent of The Messenger in its ability to capture unexpressed sorrow, its strong acting and story-telling make it a film that will haunt you.

• Annlee Ellingson, Moving Pictures Magazine

  Brothers covered similar territory, but there are plenty of stories to go around about young soldiers and their families in pain, and Williams touches on a few more.

Read all 19 critic reviews