Marriage, they say, takes work. Not the sort of literal, physically demanding work akin to back-breaking manual labor, but that of the emotionally demanding type; the resilient and persevering diligence that partners must work at to connect with their significant other. In indie-vet Joe Swanberg’s latest film, Digging For Fire, however, both types of efforts are exhausted by a younger couple, ultimately revealing honest realizations that modern day marriage forces those involved to confront in an impressive and intimate exploration.

The young couple here consists of Lee (Rosemarie DeWitt) and Tim (Jake Johnson) – they, along with their young son Jude (in real life, Swanberg’s own son), move in to the home of Lee’s yoga student while on away on vacation. The home is big, complete with pool, tennis court, and Tim’s discovery of a rusty revolver and bone (human?), stirring a wild fascination of what may be buried on the property.

Those familiar with Swanberg’s work will know full-well going into this that the most rewarding offering in his work is the sharp level of insight into these specific sliced of Gen-Y life.

This curiosity only reveals a larger baggage that was also brought along – a checkbook that needs balancing, and further frustrations, which serves to splinter the couple even further, with Lee taking Jude to her parents’ to enjoy a girls’ weekend out, while Tim is left to complete the taxes, which turns into a call to his antics-driven friends, including the anarchic Ray (Sam Rockwell), best friend Phil (Mike Birbiglia) and the alluring Max (Brie Larson).

The easy metaphor and connection here, and what the title gets right at, in Digging For Fire, is that unwanted things can be discovered when the intention is to unearth to the bottom. Joe Johnson, credited as co-writer along with Swanberg, is obsessed in the digging up of the mountains, a sort of nervous tic to his real-world marriage anxieties, that ends up revealing more – a men’s shoe, and ultimately, his own insecurities and acceptances, which proven poignant and thoughtful on the subject of marriage and with it, identity lost.

Those familiar with Swanberg’s work will know full-well going into this that the most rewarding offering in his work is the sharp level of insight into these specific sliced of Gen-Y life. For this reviewer, a warmly woven and starkly honest look, comprising in a dually-affecting climax with arresting imagery, earns the film its praise alone. Digging For Fire is patient viewing, but mines a very endearing message that its lovely cast charms you into watching and reflecting on.

Digging For Fire is now playing in select theaters.