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‘Fear is good’: my scary subterranean journey into Underland, the film of Robert Macfarlane’s dazzling book
As the hit travelogue about the worlds beneath us becomes a film, its maker takes us on a voyage through Las Vegas storm drains and the caves of Yucatán – via Goatchurch Cavern in the bowels of Somerset
TL;DR
- The author experiences a descent into Goatchurch Cavern with filmmaker Robert Petit, who is creating a documentary based on Robert Macfarlane's book 'Underland'.
- The film 'Underland' explores the concept of finding freedom and existential balance in subterranean spaces through the experiences of three individuals: an urban explorer, a descendant of Maya ancestors, and a dark matter physicist.
- Robert Macfarlane discusses his admiration for Petit's creative risks and the 'quantum collaboration' involved in adapting his book, highlighting the narrative constraint of the camera remaining underground.
- Macfarlane's book defines the underland by themes of shelter, yield, and disposal, resonating personally with Petit during a period of grief over the loss of his aunt and uncle.
- The journey culminates with a visit to the 'Old Mother Ash tree,' the starting point for both the book and film, which has recently collapsed, symbolizing the intersection of death and life.