Diggers

Diggers is a low-key yet thoroughly entertaining drama revolving around the residents of a small fishing community, the majority of whom earn a living working as clam diggers. Director Katherine Dieckmann, working from Ken Marino’s screenplay, generally doesn’t concern herself with plot, choosing instead to emphasize the lives and foibles of the film’s central characters. As such, Diggers is the sort of slow-going movie that essentially demands a patient viewer; the characters ultimately become vivid and real, and one can’t help but sympathize and empathize with their respective problems. With a cast that includes Paul Rudd, Ron Eldard, and Josh Hamilton, the film is teeming with superb performances – though screenwriter Marino deftly steals each one of his scenes and consequently establishes himself as a charismatic and talented performer in his own right. Dieckmann’s eye for detail results in a distinctly authentic vibe, and although the inclusion of so many characters ensures that some get the short shrift in terms of satisfying arcs, there’s simply no denying the overall effectiveness of the film.

*** out of ****