Release: The Dam

 

The Dam

Genre: Drama / Music

Director: Andrew Haigh

Writers: Jimmy Ellis & Georgia Watts

Based on the book by David Almond 

Cast: Jonathan Bailey, Lexi Lancaster, Dick Van Dyke, Jerome Flynn, Joss Stone

Budget: $18,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $16,509,444

Foreign Box Office: $20,189,540

Total Profit: $7,098,222

Reaction: In a shaky season at the box office, any profits are much appreciated by the studio accountants (they have pools and sports cars to pay for afterall). 

"The Dam is a quietly devastating elegy about memory, loss, and the way music can outlive the places that gave it life. Andrew Haigh directs with a delicate hand, allowing the film’s emotional power to emerge through stillness and performance rather than overt dramatics. Jonathan Bailey is exceptional, capturing both the warmth and quiet sorrow of a man trying to hold onto something already gone, while Lexi Lancaster brings a luminous presence that keeps the film from slipping into despair. The musical sequences, seamlessly blending past and present, feel almost spiritual." - Harriet Loomis, Fenland Arts Chronicle

"There’s a gentle beauty to The Dam, but its commitment to subtlety occasionally leaves it feeling dramatically underpowered. The supporting cast, while thematically important, feels unevenly utilized—Dick Van Dyke brings warmth and authenticity in his brief appearances, but characters like Archie Dagg and Gracie Gray register more as symbolic presences than fully realized figures. The blending of memory and reality works in moments, but repetition dulls its impact. Still, strong central performances and a thoughtfully curated soundtrack give the film enough texture to make it worthwhile, even if it never fully reaches the emotional heights it aims for." - Colin Ashford, The Provincial Screen Review

"With sentimental songs throughout, The Dam puts music in the spotlight as a bonding force between peoples across time and tragedy. Ultimately, the film feels a little slight in its goals and the earnestness of its drama played a little too straight for me. I came away thinking it could've benefitted from leaning heavier into the fantastical elements inherent in the story, as the potential was there to strike a chord akin to Tim Burton's Big Fish." - Cal Crowe, Washington Globe

Rated PG for thematic material