‘A Life Illuminated’ Trailer: It’s Time to Experience the Ocean Through Entirely New Eyes

Exclusive: Tasha Van Zandt's documentary about pioneering oceanographer and bioluminescence obsessive Dr. Edith Widder will only make you want to see (literally, figuratively) more.

Of all the great, unexplored environments on Earth, the ocean — so vast, so deep, so dark — inevitably tops any and all lists. After all, oceans make up a staggering 71 percent of the planet, and the vast majority of those waters — again, the vast and deep and dark portions — remain dizzyingly unexplored.

That sort of thinking? It’s never stopped marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder, an ocean obsessive and bioluminescence freak who has made it her business to not only explore the far reaches of the ocean, but to document it (and all the incredible creatures she finds along the way) for more people to enjoy and investigate.

She, of course, makes for an incredible documentary subject. In Tasha Van Zandt‘s “A Life Illuminated,” Dr. Widder takes reluctant center-stage to her life’s work. Per the film’s official synopsis, it “follows trailblazing marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder — one of the first women in her field and one of the first humans to explore the ocean’s twilight zone — as she descends 3,300 feet into the ocean’s darkest depths. From capturing the first-ever footage of the elusive giant squid to unveiling the glowing mysteries of deep-sea bioluminescence, Edie embarks on her most daring quest yet: to document a bioluminescent phenomenon that could forever change how we understand life on Earth.”

When the film premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, this critic hailed the film for its “wonderfully unflashy” presentation of a startling subject. I continued, “Van Zandt (‘After Antarctica‘) wisely uses traditional storytelling lanes to tell Dr. Widder’s story, tracing a pair of intertwining narratives over the course of the film‘s snappy running time of 89 minutes. At the forefront: Dr. Widder’s biggest swing yet, as she readies for a deep-sea dive in which she’ll test brand-new technology in hopes of documenting a bioluminescent phenomenon she’s long been obsessed with. Weaved in alongside that: an unfortunately light exploration of her biography, tracing her through childhood and many professional milestones (deeper explorations into her personal life are not on offer).”

The doc is a fascinating watch for anyone interested in myriad topics, from the ocean and bioluminescence (duh) to compelling real-life characters and even a little bit of undersea adventure. Along the way, Van Zandt and her team deliver stunning cinematography, giving viewers a taste at Dr. Widder’s wild world under the waves.

Check out the first trailer for “A Life Illuminated,” an IndieWire exclusive, below. Sandbox Films and Ocean X will released the film in New York City and Los Angeles on Friday, July 24.