James (Ryan O’Nam) is returning home from the war to a waiting wife, Sarah (America Ferrera). Things couldn’t possibly be better, coming back home to your loved ones, until things start to turn for the worst. The nightmares begin to take over and James begins to show signs of post-traumatic stress syndrome left by the war. Haunted by his nightmares and lack of memory of an incident during a regular patrolling, James takes off to see his friend Raymond Gonzales (Wilmer Valderrama) to try and piece together his memory to try and regain that piece of himself that’s missing.

The film is written and directed by Ryan Piers Williams and it tackles a tough subject that many people suffer with. It’s no secret that many returning soldiers suffer from issues without realizing it and while this is a movie that attempts are creating some awareness, it certainly is not the first. The subject matter is a bit tough to watch, but the reality is that while the attempt to create the awareness for the audience that this movie is aimed at it comes of short.

The movie gives a glimpse at James’ reality, but where it truly lacks is in the character development. James appears as a very generic character that went through severe emotional stress during war and now is trying to cope with reality, we’ve seen that before, but truth is that it feels like there’s no personality or anything remotely close to the glimpse of before he was deployed. In terms of story, it is hard to see another human come to terms in the way it’s depicted on the film; however, I’m sure the particular audience that this is intended to will enjoy the film. Personally, I feel that James could have been developed to a more emotional character in order to feel some deeper connection with the audience.

The Dry Land arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG4-AVC encode framed at 2.35:1. The film takes place in Texas and for this; the filmmakers have opted for a grittier and desaturated look in order to fit the film more properly. Colors are lightly washed out throughout. Skintones are surprisingly natural. Fine details are strong, but due to the heavy grain and style the filmmakers took while filming there are plenty of soft shots. Darker scenes do tend to be a bit less detailed and they feature some softness in the image. Black levels lightly washed out and they tend to take a bit of a gray/blue look at times. The film is topped with a thick layer of grain to give it that dirty look. There doesn’t seem to be any major issues, some artifacts here and there, but everything else is kept at bay.

The Dry Land arrives on Blu-ray with a Dolby Digital 5.1 lossy audio track. The film is dialogue driven and there is just no real need for a lossless track as there are no action sequences or anything that would showcase your equipment. The track handles the dialogue with ease delivering it with enough clarity. The center speakers handle most of the load and directionality is good. The volume does need to be raised in order to acquire the perfect listening point. There isn’t much activity for the rears, atmospheric and ambience effects are almost non-existent. For what is worth, the track does what is required.

Audio Commentary – Featuring Ryan Piers Williams and America Ferrara in an informative and somewhat insightful track. Both personalities tackle various aspects of the film and go in depth when explaining different areas of the movie.

Resources for Care – This is just an information pane with numbers and websites to visit for more information about PTSD.

Theatrical Trailer

The Dry Land is a strong movie with a very mature and real topic that many of the returning soldiers suffer with. In the directional debut of Ryan Piers Williams, I would say he did a good job, but personally I feel the character he tried to convey on the audience is rather generic and he doesn’t evoke much emotion until the very end. The Blu-ray features a decent video transfer and a lossy track that while is not impressive, it does the job. The supplements are not enough, but an audio commentary is better than nothing. Overall, The Dry Land will find its way onto those who can closely relate, other than that I would probably suggest a rental.