A Biological Bore: 'Just Above the Surface of the Earth' | Green Film Festival of San Francisco 2024
Follow along as researchers document changes in ecosystems. Every second of it.
Dear Moviegoers,
Ambitious and bold, but inventiveness without concern. This is how I would describe the docu-poem Just Under the Surface of the Earth (For a Coming Extinction). I could also exclaim that it’s an immensely lost-in-translation cure for insomnia. I’m saddened to say that something ever so Lynchian and even late Godardian, on the topic of ecosystem research, is a major waste of time. So saddened. So very saddened.
Filmed with subjects in center or near-center frame, in crisply examined footage, Just Under the Surface of the Earth follows teams of researchers and analysts who document and measure any changes in the environments that surround us. No matter how big or small, every minute detail is recorded, often on spreadsheet paper, hand-done with pencil, and calculated by rulers and antennas. As these teams walk through bushes, sit in chairs, and climb on rocks, the sounds of what they’re observing dominate the attention—this is where the movie gets thick and interesting. Every beep, every cackle, every noise is carefully blended into all of the shots, making their trips more tangible, as if it’s all happening in real-time.
This is also where the film, unfortunately, fails and flails.
Long stationary takes of people recording, documenting, and quietly listening make up the absolute bulk of what is shown, causing a ripple of pain and frustration. The first sequence to do this was given some grace, as in now way this would be the rest of the film, right? From there, it became clear that this would be the remainder. It’s shocking just how intense the movie makes its topic look and feel so unappealing. Sure, there must be long periods, in reality, of monotonous work, but must an audience be exposed to that? Can’t an audience experience a heightened version of this research?
For all of the dissolves, the special graphics, the poetic narration, and the wonderfully conceived portrait-like cinematography, nothing can help the fault of the loose editing and the vision of its direction. Just Above the Surface of the Earth means exactly what its title suggests. This is a film with little above the surface occurring. The insects, the animals, and their homes deserve better. 1.5/5
Just Above the Surface of the Earth (For a Coming Extinction) screened at the 2024 Green Film Festival of San Francisco.