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The Dig

Watched The Dig recently and loved it. Lot of themes come together in the story - the frailty of life, the impermanence of the the physical body with the war looming and the importance of taking chances while one still can. Passion is explored in different ways - one man's lack of it for his young wife, another's devotion to the soil of Suffolk and dedicating his life to excavating the secrets that lay buried under it. Mrs. Edith Pretty around whom the story revolves does not reveal much of her inner universe but it is awash is sadness and death is closer to her than others know. This is one of those movies where each viewer will find a different point of connection. 

For me it was the relationship between the new arrivals to the dig -Stuart and Peggy Piggot. The husband is better credentialed for the job but the wife is the one with the real love for it. She is allowed to help with the excavation only because she weighs under nine stone and could not be harmful for the fragile structure of the site. Stuart is astoundingly cold and uninterested in Peggy whom he insists on calling Margaret. The woman keeps trying to find warmth in her marriage and fails each time. Edith observes from afar and notices that Peggy is attracted to her cousin Rory who is there helping with the dig. It is with Edith's discreet encouragement that Peggy is able to leave her dead end marriage and take a chance on love. 

There is nothing more corrosive to the heart of a person than to be rejected summarily by the one they married and hoped to love for life. That rejection breeds doubt, shame and fear of inadequacy if left unaddressed could cripple the person - they would never realize that the world outside sees them very differently than their spouse. They would not know they could take a chance and seek the love and warmth they are being denied in marriage. To see Peggy break free was heart-warming to say the least

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