The Descent. 2005. Great Britain. Written and directed by Neil Marshall. With Shauna MacDonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone and MyAnna Buring. 35mm. 100 min.
The claustrophobic walls of grief have been closing in on Sarah, who tragically lost her husband and daughter in a car accident. One year later, she and her friends go on their annual adventure trip, this time to go spelunking in a cave system hidden deep in the woods. The intended bonding-and-healing adventure quickly turns into a struggle for survival as they become lost underground. Their best and worst qualities come to the surface as they search for a way out, but they’ll need pure primal instincts to fight the murderous humanoid creatures who stalk their every move. The Descent is a tightly wound metaphor for grief, loss, and survivor’s guilt, a film in which the unthinkable happens twice and closure always seems just out of reach.