Drowning Dry () is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Laurynas Bareià ¡a starring Gelmine Glemzaite, Agne Kaktaite, Giedrius Kiela, and Paulius Markevicius. A Lithuanian-Latvian co-production, the film premiered at the 77th Locarno Film Festival, where Bareià ¡a received the Best Direction Award while the film's principal cast was recognized with the Best Performance Award. It was selected as Lithuanian's entry for the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, but was not nominated.
Ernesta and her sister JustÃÂ gather at a lakeside cabin for a weekend getaway with their husbands (Lukas and Tomas, respectively) and children. The vacation takes a dark turn when JustÃÂ's daughter falls into the lake, unable to swim to safety. Details about the accident and its aftermath are revealed in a series of flashbacks as the family tries to move on from the tragedy.
Laurynas Bareià ¡a wrote, directed, and served as cinematographer for Drowning Dry, which was produced through his company Afterschool Production. In developing the script, Bareià ¡a consulted with medical professionals to learn more about dry drowning.
Drowning Dry premiered on 10 August 2024 in the Concorso Internazionale section of the Locarno Film Festival.
Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert.com gave the film three and a half out of four stars and wrote, "Part of the joy of Drowning Dry is watching Bareisa's work, taking note of the choices he makes in shot composition and perspective, his use of mirrors, andâÂÂmost memorablyâÂÂrepetition. The scenes unfold mostly in one take, and there isn't a 'stock' shot in the whole film. Close-ups are rare. Drowning Dry holds you at arm's length, but I found it more movingâÂÂand unsettlingâÂÂbecause of that."