by Gloria Daniels-Moss
Did you know that there is a whole community of people living in the tunnels of Las Vegas? Or that people can be a part of project that emulates what life may be like of Mars? Neither did I. Documentary filmmaker Steiner presents us with an immersive, yet painstakingly obvious exploration of mankind; Above & Below.
Did you know that there is a whole community of people living in the tunnels of Las Vegas? Or that people can be a part of project that emulates what life may be like of Mars? Neither did I. Documentary filmmaker Steiner presents us with an immersive, yet painstakingly obvious exploration of mankind; Above & Below.
Many of us enjoy escaping into the cinema and becoming lost in a fantasy fuelled, post-apocalyptic, dystopian universe containing whatever it may for pure entertainment. Yet what if you were actually living it on a basic level? As we follow three separate yet universally linked stories, it quickly becomes apparent that sussing out other means of living and simply surviving is becoming much more frequent in the world we reside in. Of course, there is some part of us that rejoices in living off the land and being fully sustainable without hurting the environment even more than we already have, but this certainly wouldn’t be any fun if you were to take a stab at it alone.
As we are introduced to Dan, living in his solar powered bunker in the middle of the desert, we immediately see he is lonely. His hippy, free thinking way of life, seems to be working but when the power cuts out or his truck stops ticking over, a longing for this modern society we live in surfaces. This is then juxtaposed with the surreal images of people in space suits, bounding around a Utah desert, simulating what life might be like on the planet Mars. As we are essentially transported into a sci-fi environment, we witness the sustainability of living in such conditions but also the dangers that coincide with it. Living on another planet again evokes thought of cinema. Something achievable only through CGI and bulky space costumes, but for April and her group this is their preferred next step to prepare to survive in this disintegrating world we live in.
As we are introduced to Dan, living in his solar powered bunker in the middle of the desert, we immediately see he is lonely. His hippy, free thinking way of life, seems to be working but when the power cuts out or his truck stops ticking over, a longing for this modern society we live in surfaces. This is then juxtaposed with the surreal images of people in space suits, bounding around a Utah desert, simulating what life might be like on the planet Mars. As we are essentially transported into a sci-fi environment, we witness the sustainability of living in such conditions but also the dangers that coincide with it. Living on another planet again evokes thought of cinema. Something achievable only through CGI and bulky space costumes, but for April and her group this is their preferred next step to prepare to survive in this disintegrating world we live in.
The most fascinating component of Above & Below has to be tale of married couple Rick and Cindy who live in tunnels that connect the underworld of Casino city, Las Vegas. Along with a number of people, the couple live their lives in darkness, living in fear that their minimal amount of belongings could get washed away by the rain in a moment’s notice. Albeit, this couple are unexpectedly normal. Cindy sits at ‘home’ painting her nails, whilst Rick is out trying to score them some food and of course husband and wife quarrels are at the forefront of their relationship. Out of the three stories we are given, this is the most engrossing and it seems Steiner thinks so too. The camera spends virtually double the amount on Rick and Cindy than it does Dan and April, perhaps to highlight the rapidly rising numbers of people living on the streets. Or simply that if our world as we know it slowly falls into a dystopia we all fear it might, this couple are much more prepared than any of us are.
Focusing on such an interesting subject certainly helps Above & Below reach its credits, albeit this is rather unnecessarily drawn out. The longevity of this documentary allows for long, lingering takes and repetitive shots that dilute the moral of the story. Ultimately, Steiner addresses that there are many worlds hidden away and only accessible to those living them and alien to the rest of us. An interesting watch, nonetheless, if you can make it through these, at times, quite heartbreaking stories.
Focusing on such an interesting subject certainly helps Above & Below reach its credits, albeit this is rather unnecessarily drawn out. The longevity of this documentary allows for long, lingering takes and repetitive shots that dilute the moral of the story. Ultimately, Steiner addresses that there are many worlds hidden away and only accessible to those living them and alien to the rest of us. An interesting watch, nonetheless, if you can make it through these, at times, quite heartbreaking stories.
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