November 15, 2026
FILM: UNDERSTORY
DIRECTED BY: SU RYNARD
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
One of the questions that is first asked in the new documentary Understory is “what would it be like to be in one place forever?” This is pertaining to trees and plant life which have been and will continue to be here longer than us individuals. The focus of the film is to, in part, answer that question but also to get us to understand the relationship that plant life has to its surroundings and how it communicates to that physical space and to us.
Understory is the kind of quiet, meditative documentary that we’d expect to see on a nature-oriented cable channel. It doesn’t try to establish a specific dramatic arc, as many documentaries try doing today. Rather, through various plant researchers, we learn something about how nature may be thinking and feeling and what we can learn from it.
Much of the research and filming is done in Spain and British Columbia, Canada, where there are massive forests. Many of these, according to one researcher, have been cut down and logged. Much of the western part of North America is filled with forests that have been reforested. The original natural growth is gone and what the researchers are attempting to do is something called “regenerative forestry.” Essentially, this means bringing back to life what was previously in these forests, thus rejuvenating the ecosystem.
Some of this is complex to understand. These are people who are devoting their lives to such studies and therefore speaking in research languages that, at times, might be a bit foreign to the rest of us. They discuss how plants communicate with each other and given how “alive” they are we need to develop a kinship with it. Maybe it is possible for us to also learn their languages, if we try hard enough. This might seem rather lofty to consider but these researchers are devoted to what they are doing and are hoping their messages will get out to the rest of the world.
Essentially, the researchers want to reorient our thinking about nature. Rather than taking from land we should be giving back or, at least, developing a more reciprocal relationship with it.
One way the film attempts to engross us is through the many extreme close-ups of plants, using time lapse photography, to emphasize how they evolve over time. They’re not only beautiful to look at but also alive in ways we might not typically appreciate as we walk by a seemingly still plant or tree.
Understory provides some important ideas and beautiful cinematography to transport how we think about nature. How many people will truly be able to make that change is the larger question.
Understory is playing at DOC NYC. It is available to be streamed until November 29th. To find out how to purchase tickets to do so, go to https://www.docnyc.net/film/understory/.
FILM: UNDERSTORY
DIRECTED BY: SU RYNARD
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
One of the questions that is first asked in the new documentary Understory is “what would it be like to be in one place forever?” This is pertaining to trees and plant life which have been and will continue to be here longer than us individuals. The focus of the film is to, in part, answer that question but also to get us to understand the relationship that plant life has to its surroundings and how it communicates to that physical space and to us.
Understory is the kind of quiet, meditative documentary that we’d expect to see on a nature-oriented cable channel. It doesn’t try to establish a specific dramatic arc, as many documentaries try doing today. Rather, through various plant researchers, we learn something about how nature may be thinking and feeling and what we can learn from it.
Much of the research and filming is done in Spain and British Columbia, Canada, where there are massive forests. Many of these, according to one researcher, have been cut down and logged. Much of the western part of North America is filled with forests that have been reforested. The original natural growth is gone and what the researchers are attempting to do is something called “regenerative forestry.” Essentially, this means bringing back to life what was previously in these forests, thus rejuvenating the ecosystem.
Some of this is complex to understand. These are people who are devoting their lives to such studies and therefore speaking in research languages that, at times, might be a bit foreign to the rest of us. They discuss how plants communicate with each other and given how “alive” they are we need to develop a kinship with it. Maybe it is possible for us to also learn their languages, if we try hard enough. This might seem rather lofty to consider but these researchers are devoted to what they are doing and are hoping their messages will get out to the rest of the world.
Essentially, the researchers want to reorient our thinking about nature. Rather than taking from land we should be giving back or, at least, developing a more reciprocal relationship with it.
One way the film attempts to engross us is through the many extreme close-ups of plants, using time lapse photography, to emphasize how they evolve over time. They’re not only beautiful to look at but also alive in ways we might not typically appreciate as we walk by a seemingly still plant or tree.
Understory provides some important ideas and beautiful cinematography to transport how we think about nature. How many people will truly be able to make that change is the larger question.
Understory is playing at DOC NYC. It is available to be streamed until November 29th. To find out how to purchase tickets to do so, go to https://www.docnyc.net/film/understory/.