Caving is Much Tougher Than You Think, and No Film’s Ever Captured it More Beautifully

Much like expedition climbing, caving deep underground takes planning, experience and a certain personality. Subterranean is a new film about two teams gunning for two different records: the longest cave in Canada and the deepest cave in Canada.

I won’t give anything away as there are some twists and turns that will keep you glued through the 90 minute runtime. There’s something amazing about sub-surface areas, something that adventurer Bruce Kirkby beautifully puts into words during his few minutes on screen. The cavers go so far underground that they need several days to descend and ascend. Their headlamps illuminate daunting stalactites, stalagmites and other unusual formations. While I haven’t seen every caving film, I’ve seen enough to know that this one does an amazing job at making you feel like you’re right there, deep within a mountain and far below a forest.

We see that caving is an addiction to those who live and breathe it. The act of looking for “connections” between neighbouring systems becomes an obsession for some so much so that it threatens their personal and family lives. Why do cavers cave? It’s like asking why any adventure seeker does what they do – nobody really knows. But this film does bring us closer to understanding the passion required to cave, without actually caving.

If you get claustrophobic watching people struggle through narrow chambers as underground rivers try to drown them, then there’s more than one trigger in Subterranean. However, if you like the thrill of exploration, the mapping of unknown areas, history and interesting characters then you’re going to enjoy every minute of this impressive film. Whether or not caving is your thing, I highly recommend that you add this to your must-watch list. Learn more about Subterranean here.

Subterranean Trailer