UNDERLAND

(director/writer: Robert Petit; screenwriter: co-writer and book author of “Underland: A Deep Time Journey” by Robert Macfarlane; cinematographer: Ruben Woodin Dechamps; editor: David G. Hill; music: Hannah Peel; cast: Sandra Huller (Narrator), Bradley Garrett, Fatima Tec Pool, Mariangela Lisanti; Runtime: 79; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Darren Aronofsky, Lauren Greenwood, Art Handel, Jessica Harrop; Sandbox Films; 2025)

“Stunning imagery.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

A superb feature debut directed by the British filmmaker Robert Petit. It’s based on the 2019 best-selling non-fiction book “Underland: A Deep Time Journey” by Bob Macfarlane. The author also co-writes it with Petit. The lyrical nature documentary tracks underground geological phenomenons never seen before.

Sights to behold are the underground enclaves in the Mayan caves in the Yucatan (Mexico), as explored by the Mexican archeologist Fatima Tec Pool; the Las Vegas storm drain of sewers and tunnels, as explored by the urban explorer Bradley Garrett; and the Canadian SNOLAB facility that runs underground searches for dark matter in its pristine lab, as studied by the American theoretical physicist Mariangela Lisanti.

The film is filled with scientific knowledge, stunning imagery, and is valued for telling us about the role played by the subterranean universe in how we evolved. It’s also entertaining, as narrated by the actress Sandra Huller.

It played at the Tribeca Film Festival.

REVIEWED ON 6/14/2025  GRADE: B+
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