“Everything Is Connected”: Underland

Underland (Robert Petit, 2025); Image courtesy of Dogwoof

Underland (2025) is a cinematic voyage depicting three subterranean landscapes. From caves, to storm drains, to underground laboratories; this documentary values life beneath the surface. Directed by Robert Petit and adapted from Robert Macfarlane’s Underland: A Deep Time Journey, this sequence of travel narratives records connections beyond the camera’s typical angle, becoming our eyes below the surface as it tempts us to witness the beauty beneath what meets the eye. Underland had its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival 2025 and was nominated for the Best Documentary category!

Underland begins with Sandra Hüller’s seductive voice, tempting us to go beyond the surface. The camera, becoming our eyes, centres this tree, allowing us to witness with it. Slowly but surely, with Hüller’s voice to pacify us, we are taken below ground and entranced by the fossilised collections of life which live below our very beings. 

Underland (Robert Petit, 2025); Image courtesy of Dogwoof

Petit, known previously for his short films Blackbird (2013) and Upstream (2019), has stepped out of his shell to produce a documentary full of life, mystery, beauty and depth. Scenes in Petit’s documentary garner authenticity through its composition of tracking, over-the-shoulder, and close-ups, all of which create a shared intimacy between the camera, subject, and audience. Petit truly encapsulates the interconnectedness of life. The documentary is edited and styled in a way that allows each of the three stories to exist as one and all; their plots may differ, but their messages remain the same: “everything is connected.” 

Told through six chapters, the film reads like a quest narrative. Each protagonist describes themselves as an underground explorer or researcher. Petit takes us through Mexico, Canada and the USA, connecting us not just through ambition but geographic location, each serving a purpose in demonstrating the different subterranean layers which exist in our world. The scientific edge to the film is beginner-friendly; the science is accessible and formatted in an engaging and visual way. The film utilises modes of animation, bringing us back to the Ash tree, a symbol of the shared interconnectedness of life through environments. 

Bradley Garret is our American “urban explorer” whose “quest” is exploring Las Vegas’ storm drains, relaying that a whole world exists in these meters of drainage that is invisible to the average Joe up top. Fátima Tec Poolis is our archaeologist who cave dives in her native Mexico and is particularly interested in her ancestors, the Mayan peoples. And lastly, Mariangela Lisanti, a theoretical particle physicist interested in dark matter, occupies the underground laboratory. Each of these stories reflects the wonders of the subterranean and highlights the simplicity of the overground environments. The wonder, beauty, and possibilities which exist in these spaces were teased out by the camera as it followed our travellers down below. 

Underland (Robert Petit, 2025); Image courtesy of Dogwoof

This film uncovers the covered, and through the lives of three extremely different people, in three different locations, Petit reminds us that connection is not limited; in fact, it is empowered by what exists down below. As these travel narratives progress, the threads of connection intensify until they climax (as depicted in the animated Ash tree), and with that, the film concludes. This documentary is executed beautifully, bringing together travel, beauty, and science.

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Edited by Lara Walsh, Co-Film & TV Editor