THE DESCENT

For Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), still struggling with the trauma of losing her husband and daughter a year earlier, the trip is meant to be a step back towards normality. Led by Juno (Natalie Mendoza), the women venture into a previously unexplored cave system, where one wrong move can mean losing their bearings – and losing their bearings can mean a fight for survival.

Deep underground, they must confront not only the dangers of the caves themselves, of which there are plenty, but also growing mistrust, old resentments and secrets that begin to strain the bonds between them. The farther they descend into the unknown, the slimmer their chances of escape.

Marshall turns the cave into something resembling hell, or at least purgatory: a space outside the ordinary order of things, where the women are forced to confront their pasts, along with the fears and guilt bound up in them. The ‘descent’ referred to in the title thus signifies both a physical journey deep into the earth and a journey into the darkest recesses of the psyche, where morality seems to be non-existent.

The visual style reinforces this sense of entrapment, with claustrophobic compositions and sparse lighting closing in around the characters. The deeper they go, the more monstrous both the unfamiliar abyss and the people themselves become. In a place like this, is there still room for redemption – or even rebirth?

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Rafał Glapiak

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Please note! The screening will take place at a swimming pool. All attendees are required to arrive in appropriate swimwear and bring a towel.

The film can be watched both “on dry land” from the poolside and from inflatable mattresses and seats in the water.