Beneath our feet lies a world most of us will never see — a realm often imagined as dark, dangerous, and best left untouched. But UNDERLAND, a new cinematic documentary narrated by the Oscar-nominated Sandra Hüller, dares us to look closer. Based on Robert Macfarlane’s bestselling book, this profound and poetic film invites us on an extraordinary voyage into the unseen depths of the Earth.
From the very beginning, UNDERLAND establishes itself not just as a documentary, but as an immersive experience. Produced by Sandbox Films, Protozoa Pictures, Planet Octopus Studios, and Spring Films, the project brings together some of the most imaginative and thoughtful creators working in nonfiction storytelling today. What they deliver is nothing short of breathtaking: a meditative descent into spaces few humans ever witness.
The journey begins in the shallow soils beneath an ancient ash tree — a symbolic threshold between the known and unknown. From there, viewers are guided through a series of astonishing subterranean landscapes: sacred prehistoric caves, the hidden arteries of urban storm drains, the silent melt zones beneath glaciers, and even underwater burial chambers lost to time. Each location is more than just visually stunning; it carries the weight of history, myth, and science.
Perhaps most compelling is the exploration of a deep underground laboratory designed to answer some of the universe’s greatest questions. Here, surrounded by rock and silence, scientists probe the cosmic and the quantum, reminding us how little we understand about the very ground we live on.
Sandra Hüller’s narration is a masterstroke — calm, intimate, and reverent. Her voice doesn’t just guide; it invites reflection. The tone of the film is never sensational, but poetic. There’s awe in the visuals, yes, but also in the ideas: What does it mean to live on a fragile planet, largely unaware of what lies below? What can the deep Earth teach us about deep time, deep thinking, and deep care?
UNDERLAND is more than a documentary about geology or adventure. It’s a meditation on the limits of human perception and the urgent need to rethink our relationship with the planet. In going down, the film helps us look up — and ahead — with new eyes.
For those willing to venture beyond the light and into the mystery, UNDERLAND offers a rare gift: the chance to wonder, to learn, and to feel profoundly connected to the living, layered world beneath us. It is a quiet, powerful reminder that the greatest discoveries often lie in the places we fear to tread.
