Above and Below

Lives on the margins from sewers to simulated space

Above and Below is a documentary that explores the lives of five individuals who have stepped outside the boundaries of what is considered ordinary life. From its opening moments, the film introduces a striking contrast. A man walks through a vast tunnel with only a lantern to guide him, followed by scenes that resemble astronauts crossing a Martian landscape. These images set the tone for a work that moves between different sub worlds, each marked by its own form of survival and inner exile.

The film presents Rick, Cindy and Lalo, who have turned the sewers below the bright surface of Las Vegas into a form of refuge. Hidden under the city, they create their own space away from the pressures of social interaction and the expectations of the world above. Their daily routines unfold in the flood channels beneath Sin City, where the darkness becomes both a shelter and a reminder of the fragility of their situation.

At the other extreme, April, a former combatant in Iraq, seeks escape in the red desert of Utah. She participates in a Mars simulation, moving across the vast terrain dressed like an astronaut. This environment gives her a way to distance herself from the past and to inhabit a space where imagination and isolation merge. The landscape becomes a place for reflection and a form of temporary freedom.

In the Californian desert, David isolates himself in a small shelter where he searches for signs from God using whatever objects he finds. His solitude and his attempts to communicate reveal a spiritual struggle shaped by the silence of his surroundings. The endless desert offers space for contemplation, yet it also exposes the limits of being completely alone.

Swiss director Nicolas Steiner shapes these portraits with patience and attention, revealing the identities of men and women pushed away by a normalising society. Through their stories, Above and Below becomes a reflection on human resilience, alternative forms of living and the intimate territories people create when they step beyond conventional boundaries. It is a rough and rhythmic journey through places that appear unfamiliar, yet the emotions, fears and hopes encountered along the way show that these lives are not so distant from our own.