Below the Surface
Genre: Drama
Director: Fran Kranz
Writer: Sammy-Jo Ellis
Cast: Jon Bernthal, Brooklynn Prince, Ian Bohen, Jordana Spiro, Reed Birney
Plot: Jake Hubbard (Jon Bernthal) walks around his house, wearing his hi-vis workwear, a miner at one of the many in Wyoming. He grabs his thermos mug full of coffee. Before leaving he returns to his bedroom and plants a kiss on his wife, Emily’s head. He then enters the room of his 10 year old daughter, Sophie and does the same.
On his drive to work Jake sits in silence, his elbow resting on the side of the car, head on his hand, obviously tired.
As he steps out of his car his demeanor changes, he begins some small talk and banter with his colleagues. Teddy Hardcastle (Ian Bohen) approaches him, he begins to tell him what's on the agenda today. Jake looks at him, so the same shit as usual. Teddy laughs, yeah same shit as usual. The two of them continue walking, joining a group of miners, dressed in hard hats and protective gear. There seems to be no camaraderie - just a shared understanding of their day ahead.
Jake boards a mining truck and is driven deep into the mine, past the large machinery, the walls of the cavernous space scarred by years of mining. The camera captures the mechanical process of modern mining as Jake rides past massive drills and huge coal extractors, machines designed to slice through the rock with precision and force.
As Jake arrives at his station, he climbs into a loader, operating it with practiced ease. The camera lingers on his face, showing the weariness etched into his expression, the signs of years spent in the same monotonous routine. He grabs a shovel, scooping coal into a conveyor belt with methodical, repetitive movements. Every action is a reflection of the long days that stretch out before him, each task merging into the next, creating a blur of mechanical work.
The camera holds on Jake for a moment, showing the isolation in his eyes. He’s surrounded by the loud, constant noise of the machines, yet there’s an overwhelming sense of stillness within him. There’s no joy, no break from the routine—just the quiet resignation of a man who has learned to keep his emotions buried beneath the weight of the job.
Teddy brings a couple beers and the two of them sit and talk. Teddy asks Jake about Sophie and Emily. Teddy being Jake’s best man at their wedding. Teddy tells him that Sophie seems to be distancing herself, he’s not sure whether it’s his doing or if she’s just growing. Teddy ensures him that she is just becoming her own person, don’t push her. Jake smiles, the two of them cheers, drinking their beers. They sleep at the mine that night
Emily rushes around the house, finding her car keys and rushing Sophie into the car. The two of them drive off, on the way to school and work. The two of them argue all the way on the drive. When Emily pulls up at school, Sophie exits the vehicle and slams the door, not saying anything to her mother. Emily, frustrated, drives off.
As Jake walks toward the shuttle for the mine he is teased by Teddy as Teddy doesn’t go into the mine today. Jake laughs it off, flipping Teddy off.
Jake’s day is identical to the day earlier, nothing changes. He gets a call over a speaker for him to return to base. Upon his return he is approached by Teddy, who looks remorseful. He tells him he’s sorry. Jake looks confused before seeing police officers at the mine. “What the fuck is this? What happened? We keep a distance from Jake approaching the officers, their looks similar to Teddy’s. We don’t hear the conversation from the distance, we then get in close and all we hear is ringing, as if a ringing in the ears. We see Jake’s reaction, a stillness, a tremor. He seems frozen, then he drops. He drops to his knees. Teddy approaches and tries to help. He can’t. No-one can.
At home Sophie waits on the couch in silence. Jake enters. The weight of the news is shared in the most understated way—Jake simply sits beside Sophie, who doesn’t ask questions, sensing the shift without understanding it. No dramatic declarations. No sobbing. Just a long, aching pause between them, Sophie then breaks. She tries to run, Jake pulls her in close, hugging her tight, not letting her go.
The new reality for Jake and Sophie, begins to kick in. They move through life in a haze, the camera capturing their awkward attempts at navigating this altered family dynamic. Jake is shown fumbling through daily tasks: breakfast, cleaning, picking out Sophie’s clothes, all while visibly struggling with his grief. There are no speeches or grand emotional outbursts—just the quiet, painful isolation that comes from not knowing how to deal with such loss.
We watch as Jake tries to make breakfast for Sophie, fumbling the spatula, spilling some food. The camera stays fixed on them from across the room. Sophie sits at the table, staring out the window. Jake moves through the motions, his back to her, but the tension in the space is palpable. Sophie, in her grief, doesn’t want the food. Jake doesn’t know how to comfort her. He looks at the plate, then at her, and simply turns back to the stove. As he has his back to her, she can see his shoulder rise and fall, a deep breath, then stillness. A daughter, who doesn't know how to be without her mother.
Jake slowly ushers Sophie out of the door into the car. The two of them are still in silence. He isn’t sure what to say, what to do. As she gets out of the car, Jake is approached by Principal Lonergan (). Lonergan asks how they are coping. Jake laughs, “We’re not.” Lonergan tells him that he’s sorry to hear that, he mentions that they will offer Sophie some support. Jake accepts this, while also saying he isn’t sure if she’ll want the help. Lonergan mentions that all they can do is try. Jake nods at that, Lonergan then asks how he is, is he going back to the mine? Jake tells him that he is going to look for work closer to Sophie for now. Lonergan wishes him luck on his search.
Jake starts to look for other work, but he’s clearly unprepared for this new path. There is no dialogue about his job search—just a series of quiet, lonely visits to job sites, filled with long, pensive shots of Jake sitting in his truck, staring at a factory or construction site, unsure of how to take the next step. His injury, the lost years in the mines, and his inability to change course are all implied rather than spoken.
Jake attempts to reach out to Sophie in small ways. He picks her up from school, helps her with her homework in silence. But their attempts at communication fail. Sophie is withdrawn, refusing to talk about her mother. In a moment of quiet frustration, Jake watches Sophie quietly hold her mother's old necklace—just an object, yet the symbol of a love and connection he no longer knows how to engage with.
Jake is visited by Teddy at his home. The two of them share a beer out the front of his house, Sophie asleep. Teddy talks to him cautiously but optimistic about the future of his friend. He tells Jake about everything happening at the mine. Unknowingly to Teddy, Jake has begun to cry. Finally letting his grief overcome him. Teddy is unsure what to do, this isn’t Jake, he’s never shown this side of him to Teddy before. Teddy, although hesitant, hugs Jake. Sophie looks out of her window, seeing her father showing his emotion. She looks down at her hands, her mothers necklace in her hands.
Later that night, Teddy has gone home, Jake walks to Sophie’s room, he stands at the door for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then, quietly, he walks over and sits down beside her. There’s no need for words—he simply sits in the stillness with her, each of them swallowed by the silence.
Sophie wakes up, her eyes flicker toward him, but she doesn’t say anything. She’s still holding her mother’s necklace. Jake looks down at it, then back at her, his face unreadable. His eyes are heavy with grief, but they hold something else now—fragile understanding.
Finally, Sophie breaks the silence, her voice barely a whisper. “I miss her so much.” Jake swallows hard, his throat tight. He reaches for the necklace in her hands, holding it for a beat before placing it gently around her neck, the way Emily used to do. His touch is steady, but his hands tremble slightly. “I know, kiddo. So do I.”
There’s a long pause as they sit there together, neither of them moving. The weight of their grief is palpable, the silence louder than words.
Jake looks down at his hands, unsure of what to do next. He’s lost, still caught in the enormity of the change in their lives, but he doesn’t leave. He stays. He just sits there.
After a while, Sophie shifts closer, the smallest movement. Jake looks over at her, and for the first time since everything happened, their eyes meet. There’s a quiet acknowledgement between them—two people who are still figuring out how to be in this new world, but at least, for now, they’re figuring it out together. Sophie barely moves, “Dad… stay with me. Please.”
Jake nods, his voice barely audible. “I’m here, kiddo. I’m not going anywhere.”
He stays beside her, his presence the only comfort he can offer. It’s enough for now.
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