Diving Into the Darkness

I was so happy to finally be able to view "Diving into the Darkness" as I have read Jill Heinerth's book, "Into the Planet", and heard Jill speak here in Calgary. She is an awesome woman who has found her way into a predominately male career. And she has upped the ante. Her work, her accomplishments, her way of diving and photographing underwater worlds are all amazing. She knows it is a risky business and she does it for her own interests as well as for all people as she opens up this unknown world for all of us. This documentary is beautifully filmed, has an incredible commentary, and is completely stunning to watch. I give it a definite 10/10.

This is an inspiring story of Jill Heinerth's journey to becoming the world's most accomplished and respected cave-diver. It's a highly dangerous yet essential profession that is providing science with a new and revealing understanding of the world's underground aquatic ecosystems. Director Nays Baghai skilfully unfolds Jill's personal journey from her realization, as a young girl, that her path in life was to explore, her near-death experiences and the impact of these on her relationships and approach to fear, and her passion to inspire exploration in young people. Nays shows us Jill's story through interviews, animations, flash-backs, archival footage, re-enactments, and beautiful cinematography. The re-enactments are especially powerful and frightening. The scenes of divers swimming through enormous underwater caverns, deep beneath the Earth's surface, are magically lit and beautiful to watch. Jill's telling of her amazing life is honest, humble and down-to-earth, contrasting vividly with her technical skills and the dangerous environment she loves. I highly recommend this film to anyone interested in stories about human endeavour, personal limits, and exploration.

Superbly conceived, shot and directed - a fitting exploration and celebration of the life and drivers of an extraordinary human being. The underwater footage is just gorgeous. And the way the film managed to thread so many disparate elements (footage from different eras, re-enactments, animation, photos, diagrams, interviews, narrative, commentary, incidents, music) into such a seamless whole, all while keeping storytelling and heart at the absolute centre of the film, was beautifully done. I was riveted throughout. And I learned a heap - it really is another world in those cave systems. An alien planet within the one we think we know. A remarkable film about a remarkable woman. Highly recommend.

Full disclosure! I have listened to Jill Heinerth's book "Into the Planet" so I was very familiar with Jill's story, her book being one of my top 5 favorite books of all time! So I was very excited when I heard about Diving Into the Darkness! I was going to watch it and enjoy it because I have an incredible respect and admiration for Jill! However, my expectations were not very high in terms of production but I hoped the director will be able to do justice to Jill's incredible story and accomplishments!

Well, I was blown away by the cinematography and the whole production of this documentary! The visuals are stunning, the way the director Nays Baghai was able to tell the story is really impressive! Knowing the story told, as I watched the documentary, my heart was pounding and I was astonished by how he was able to convey the drama of the situation that was happening in a very difficult place to film! The soundtrack of the film is equally impressive! It truly gives the viewer, along with the visuals, the feeling of being in those caves with Jill! One of my friends who is not a diver and watched the documentary, said he almost had a panic attack watching, it felt so real to him! Also we are ICU nurses so can take a lot to make us panic!

Someone who has never heard of Jill Heinerth and stumbles upon this documentary, will be able at the end of it, to understand just how incredible of a person Jill is! On purpose I am not calling Jill a woman because in our society, somehow when you call someone a woman, you diminish the accomplishment! She is great for being a woman! No, she is a freaking incredible human being who has and is doing things, that don't seem humanly possible, showing incredible guts and strength, while displaying kindness and gentleness that you don't expect to come from someone such "BAD ASS!! So, thank you to everyone involved in this production and specially to the director Nays Beghai for being able to tell Jill's story in such stunning way! It was so worth the wait!

The production team created an incredible piece of history and any first place award is very much deserved! I hope a Golden Globe and an Oscar is coming!

This has changed the way I see the world! And the limits of humanity. It was so beautifully created and it had me in goosebumps the whole time.

The music was absolutely outstanding. I was so shocked to find out it was composed by 3 people!

I'm so glad I watched the Sydney screening I never thought I'd learn so much about these people and witness such beautiful shots of such isolated places on earth.

Jill is such an inspiring woman and I'm so glad that her work has been immortalised on film.

It's so beautiful and now I really want to go to Canada as well.

The film waa so well crafted thanks to the directing.