A tale of two cities, where evil has a different form!
See Return To Planet Underground (part 1) was released in december 2024 on Amazon.
Return To Planet Underground (part 1)
The narrative of Return To Planet Underground revolves around the case of a former underground techno DJ navigating the labyrinth of a prestigious law firm, only to spiral down into the shadows of a society already at war. Caught in moral gray areas, he confronts the past while glimpsing an uncertain future, stirring amidst the remnants of the real underground. This film is a visual mix; it's a compelling exploration colliding socially intertwin events surrounding a society driven by technology and likelihood.
Return To Planet Underground takes audiences on a rollercoaster ride through the highs and lows of human society, drug-fueled escapades, social pressures and ambiguity. Standing out with its unique stylistic devices and unconventional storytelling, the film touches the thinking mind in different directions, resulting in an unforgettable experience. Prepare for an immersive dive into a world where music, morality, and the human spirit collide.
Synopsis - Return To Planet Underground (part 1)
A former underground techno DJ working at a big, famous law firm gets into the dark side of society, where the war has already begun, and finds himself in moral gray areas. With one eye on the past and one eye on the future, he stirs in the ashes of the real underground. Social interweavings with the past and obligations in the future form dramatic forces that affect the protagonist. Society's decay from inside increasingly collides with the protagonist's questioning of his own life reality and the values from his past.
After being employed for years and being a respected employee, Tyrel gets sick. Besides this, he was a witness to fraud taking place within the company and taken prisoner within the legal framework. But being sick creates a complex situation in which his employer starts playing a chess game with Tyrel.
Tyrel's four best friends (Inne, Mike, Floor, and XL) do not take his situation seriously and spin the problem on Tyrel. This results in disconnection from his friends he has known for 25 years. This leads him to decline his friends' invitation to one of their regular party nights they space out together. This night, he takes a different road going to a party from his cousin where he meets Lu Lu. Lu Lu, a creative and wild creature, connects with Tyrel, having had her own share of social injustice. Tyrel and Lu lu connect on a spiritual level seeing the evil of the world around them. Lu Lu gets pregnant. But the different cultural backgrounds and mindsets create a new problem for Tyrel, putting more pressure on his already complex and unwinnable situation.
Another friend Tyrel knows from the underground scene is called Fictor. Fictor sees himself as the king of the local underground scene as he has been ruling the scene with his illegal parties for decades. After meeting up with Tyrel after years, Fictor once again opens Tyrels eyes for what is coming. As Tyrel drops down to the lowest edges of society Fictor's Anticlub organization, spreads around.
Director’s Note
The concept of this movie was to create a film with an underground feeling at its core, aiming to elaborate on what constitutes "underground," all within the framework of electronic music. The idea for the film was to place a techno/electro DJ set at the heart of the storytelling, giving it a nonlinear storytelling DNA, much like the tracks of a DJ set, which are almost never produced in a chronological fashion. Additionally, a true DJ creates his set live on the spot, thereby creating a unique moment in time, where time get a different shape. The challenge in making a film lies in its somewhat predetermined nature, so incorporating this aspect into the mix presented a challenge.
Most movies or documentaries are about well-known artists, with some exceptions. Therefore, most main characters in this genre have a somewhat predictable lifestyle—artists who rebel against society, freak out, and often engage in self-destructive struggles within themselves. Destruction can sometimes be seen as a form of creation. This film features a less conventional protagonist whose character differs from other artists typically portrayed in movies. His surroundings create the chaos and destruction as he tries to survive, facing an ironic parabola in life regarding the meaning of what is considered underground.
Creating a world where the storyline would take place was challenging because visually, it should exist somewhere between ordinary life and something more surrealistic. A depiction of ordinary life would not reflect the underground feel of the movie. The complex laws the character encounters would be boring but still necessary to tell the story. The main character of the movie is somewhat of an unconventional hero; the word "loser" might be more fitting. The trade-off between scripting the main character's reactions to a more conflict model, as is often used in movies, could create an unreal path compared to the true events. However, not scripting the main character's reactions to the traditional conflict model within scenes could diminish the expected suspense in the movie.
As an analogy for an electronic musician, it is kind of deciding whether to keep "Night Of The Jaguar" by Rolando as it is or to insert an EDM-like break in the middle of the track to make the drop/theme of the record more effective/stand out. Due to the many themes in the movie, the choice was made to keep it as close to reality as possible. The musician's struggle for survival is always related to the context of the time in which he is living. Since the usual focal point is rebellion against society, in this story, the main character is not rebelling and has integrated into society at what seems to be a high level of compliance. However, due to the approach towards him when trying to leave because of his illness, this triggers the rebellion still left in him.
Cast
Tyrel Coen Van den Aardweg
Skylar Skylar Mills
Klaas Ray Van Zuijlen
Lu Lu Dorien Rose Duinker
Fictor Bjorn Van der Doelen
The Philosopher Bas Van den Oever
Chanelly Delphin Metsers
Inne Susan Arcidiacono
Mike Elroy Lemmens
XL Leon Van Waas
Floor Judith Kotigaro
Technical information
The Netherlands, 2024
2:39:1 Full Color
91 Min, Stereo
Film festivals awards & selections
Film Festival Selections & Awards: Cannes World Film Festival: Award Best Indie Feature (low budget), April 24 / Los Angeles Film Awards: Award Indie Feature (low budget), May 24 / Paradise Film Festival, Budapest: Award Experimental, Oct 2024 / Beyond Border International Film Festival, Calkutta: Award Experimental, Nov 2024 / Rome Prisma Film Awards: Finalist Best Experimental Film, July 2024 / UK CKF International Film Festival: Selected Best Films in August, August 2024 / Indo Dubai International Film Festival: Selected Experimental Film, August 2024 / Los Angeles Independent Film Festival: Selected Experimental Film, July 2024 / New York Lift-Off Film Festival: Selected for Feature Narrative Film, July 2024 / Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival, Selected for Experimental, art or dance, June 2024 / Reims Red Movie Awards: Selected Best First Time Director, May 2024 / Hollywood Best Indie Film Awards: Selected Best Experimental, May 2024 / Stockholm City Film Festival: Selected Best Experimental, April 2024 / Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival: Selected Feature Film, April 2024 / Amicorti IFF, Peveragno: Selected International Feature, June 2024 / Art Giraffe International Film Festival, Nice: Selected Best Experimental, Oct 2024 / International Experimental Film Festival, Athens: Selected Feature Film, Oct 2024 / Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival, Selected Best Experimental, Jan 2024 / Belgrade International Film Festival, Selected Best Experimental, Nov 2024 / Snow Leopard Film Festival, Stockholm: Selected Best Experimental, Nov 2024 / Girona Film Festival: Semi-Finalist Feature Film, Nov 2024
A FORMER TECHNO DJ
Where is Tyrel, and who is he gonna meet. What faith is waiting for him. Or is there no faith left. And will he suffer like all others
FRIENDS
Mike, Inne, Floor and XL, are having a party night as you can see. Ofcourse you have seen and done this before yourself
WHO IS RUNNING
What are you running for my boy. Did you do something wrong or are you chasing someone who..
IN MEMORY OF
Who has died and who will die. That is the question. How long untill judgement day
