Carey Mulligan had her flirtation with playing something other than the repressed British housewife, but now she’s back to period dramas — this time playing a repressed British widow. Jokes aside, The Dig, which also stars Ralph Fiennes and Lily James, looks to be the most British drama Netflix has released in a while, and one that the streamer is also squeezing into the Oscar race. Watch The Dig trailer below.

The Dig Trailer

Based on a true story, The Dig stars Mulligan as a wealthy widow who hires an archaeologist (Fiennes) to excavate the burial mounts in her estate, on the cusp of World War II. But they uncover something far more important than they expected, leading dozens of people to flock to her grounds to get a piece of history.

Simon Stone (The Daughter) directs Moira Buffini’s script in this very British period drama, which should appeal to anyone who likes the idea of watching Mulligan, Fiennes, and James in a movie together. To add to the British-ness, also starring in The Dig are Johnny Flynn, Ben Chaplin, Ken Stott, Archie Barnes, and Monica Dolan.

But aside from the excellent cast, I don’t have much to say about the film itself. It looks like a pretty standard awards-ready drama that will likely earn some Oscars buzz for its leading stars and maybe win the costume category. Mulligan seems to give a nice world-weary performance, and Fiennes is sporting a charming west country accent that is different from his usual posh delivery. However, the release of The Dig in select theaters before hitting Netflix makes it clear that the streamer is gaming to have a heavy presence at the Academy Awards next year, with contenders like Da 5 Bloods, Mank, The Midnight Sky, Trial of the Chicago 7, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom already jostling for a spot at the ceremony. It’s almost ridiculously stacked in Netflix’s favor at this point, and a clear sign that the streamer has had a taste of that awards prestige — following wins for past big Netflix films like Roma, and snubs for The Irishman — and wants more.

Here is the synopsis for The Dig:

As WWII looms, a wealthy widow hires an amateur archaeologist to excavate the burial mounds on her estate. When they make a historic discovery, the echoes of Britain’s past resonate in the face of its uncertain future?

The Dig hits select theaters on January 15, 2021 before debuting on Netflix on January 29, 2021.

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