Review of Diggers (2007) by Greg A — 28 Jan 2008

[size=2][font=Century Gothic]When "Diggers" arrived from my Blockbuster queue, I remembered that I had added it as a result of a trailer I saw on an earlier DVD my wife and I had watched.[/font].

[font=Century Gothic]We popped it in and enjoyed a fairly interesting slice o' life film set in 1976.[/font].

[font=Century Gothic]The plot revolves around a small group of clam diggers who occupy what is now the Hamptons. Their livelihood is being threatened by the arrival of real estate developers and "corporate" clam digging operations.[/font].

[font=Century Gothic]When the main character's father passes away, the main character and his sister deal with the loss the best way they can, relying on the help of their rough group of friends. While this sums up the essence of the plot, the main appeal of this film is its authentic re-creation of the vibe of the pill-popping, free-sexing, throwing-garbage-out-the-door 70s. The entire atmosphere of the film feels very real, and it's easy to care about these characters and their plight. [/font].

[font=Century Gothic]The fact that their rough upbringing brings upon them additional hard times (i.e., getting into bar fights, etc.) only makes us feel more sympathetic to them. Indeed, it's pretty obvious that, as we watch this film, we're seeing their lives as they know them slowly--but inextricably--washing away. Unfortunately, we also see that their inability to do anything but dig clams (a multi-generational vocation) makes their failing source of livelihood even more painful to watch.[/font].

[font=Century Gothic]If all this seems, well, sad it kind of is. At the same time, we see in these characters an inner strength that is born out of their difficult livelihood. Ultimately, I walked away from the film with a feeling of closeness to these characters, which is a testament to the way the director brought this film to life.[/font].

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