UNDERLAND Review: Beauty Is Hidden Where the Sun Doesn't Shine, Too.
Why do we seek the void?
Underland is a documentary film adapted from Robert Macfarlane’s bestselling nature novel, shining light on the world beneath our feet.
Underland follows three separate journeys of the underground: scientists exploring a cave in Mexico, scientists studying dark matter, and a photographer/blogger who explores places just below ground level where people retreat to live.
Director Robert Petit tells the story of Underland through science, philosophy, hypnotic imagery, wonder, and mystery.
As a speleologist and her team explore the world under a seemingly floating tree in Mexico, Petit and narrator Sandra Hüller take the audience on an adventure showcasing the world’s beauty that doesn’t usually get any light.
In tandem, life in the sewers of Las Vegas is showcased. Suitcases, clothes, old water bottles, and more live there with the ghosts of Vegas residents past.
However, the stakes are raised even more as the story is told through the lens of scientists who study dark matter, something that isn’t just underground, but everywhere.
Underland is majestic, exhilarating, informative, menacing, and fascinating, with its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.