The Dry Land

A soldier's uneasy readjustment to civilian life is both ages-old reality and well-worn film subject

In this story of an Iraq veteran's return to Texas, debuting writer-director Ryan Piers Williams draws upon countless earlier dramas without adding anything fresh or memorable to the discussion. Shaped more for message than for convincing narrative impact, "The Dry Land" ends up feeling like a PSA to raise awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder. As the war-stunned James, Ryan O'Nan carries an aura of psychic injury and displacement. Thrashing between reticence and violent flashbacks, James tries the patience of his adoring wife ( America Ferrera) and the sympathetic friend ( Jason Ritter) who increasingly looks like a rival. »