Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Based on the often-retold crash story of the 1972 Uruguayan flight, which instantly claimed almost dozen lives and stranded the remaining survivors on the inhospitable snowy peaks of the Andes, the Netflix film ‘Society of the Snow’ is a chilling, riveting retelling for viewers unfamiliar with the decades-old incident that captured global headlines. The chartered flight carried 40 passengers, including 19 members of a Uruguayan rugby team, their friends and family, and 5 crew members.
Directed by J.A. Bayona, the movie is based on the book ‘La sociedad de la nieve’ (its English title being ‘Society of the Snow’) by journalist Pablo Vierci, which documents the trials of the plane crash survivors who were rescued after 72 days. The film opens with a beautiful shot of the Andes mountains, while a voice-over asks, “What happens when the world abandons you? When you have no clothes and you’re freezing? When you have no food and you’re dying?”.
Narrated by 24-year-old Numa Turcatti (Enzo Vogrincic), who was convinced to go on the trip by his rugby player friend, ‘Society of the Snow’ is a biting tale of survival, human spirit, grit, determination, and despair. The crash site was in the remote Andes mountains, and the survivors managed to endure 72 days of extreme weather, avalanches, snowstorms, and starvation, with little hope of rescue in sight. Matías Recalt plays one of the younger men, Roberto Canessa, a 19-year-old medical student, whose educational background becomes an asset for the injured after the crash. Agustín Pardella is Fernando Parrado, who was traveling with his mother and sister on the flight. Despite losing his mother on the very first day, instead of succumbing to despair, Parrado displays an exceptional vigor to find a way out. The script creatively takes liberties with actual events to ensure a smooth narrative flow, as condensing 72 days of struggles into a 2-hour film presents inherent challenges. or instance, in reality, Carlitos Páez (played by Felipe Gonzalez Otaño) found a sewing kit in his mother’s case and taught other men how to stitch to make a sleeping bag; however, this particular detail, among many others, does not find its way into the film.
J.A. Bayona astutely divides the screen time among the several survivors, with perhaps only Numa Turcatti standing out more than the others owing to the fact that his character serves as the narrator. His character is righteous, religious, and he displays a strong moral fortitude throughout the harrowing experience. Enzo Vogrincic, who portrays Numa, might remind some viewers of Adam Driver, and he delivers a measured performance as a young man doing all he can to live by his ideals and religious beliefs. The characters often debate about their actions, sometimes going on philosophical commentaries to justify the drastic measure they are forced to take. However, fortunately, the creators don’t drag on these debates or philosophical discourses, but they slip in just enough for viewers to question or ponder upon what’s being said or shown.
The cinematography and sound effects elevate the visual experience of watching this tense and uncomfortable survivor’s tale, with the Andes mountain emerging as the strongest character—a beautifully dangerous antagonist. As a viewer, you can almost feel the icy chill in the air, with second-hand anxiety sweeping you over the characters’ ordeal. “Can you imagine how beautiful this would be if we were not walking dead?” Parrado has been recorded as saying to Roberto when the two trekked along its treacherous terrain to find help. During the scenes of violent snowstorms, the camera moves around haphazardly, like live documentary footage, which is jarring to watch but captures the terrifying chaos of the moment, where the characters don’t know if they will live through the night.
The climax concludes with the aftermath of the rescue, featuring a media circus surrounding the survivors, catapulting most of them to ‘hero’ status for emerging alive after the country’s search-and-rescue operations had all but given up on them. The creators share some real-life photos before the end credits roll, yet a small slideshow depicting what some of them went on to achieve in their lives would have been more satisfying. I went on a long reading spree about the plane crash after watching the movie, which made me realize that this could’ve been a great mini-series. Regardless, at 2 hours and 24 minutes, “Society of the Snow” (‘La sociedad de la nieve’) is a frosty roller-coaster ride. While it might be too intense for some viewers, for those who enjoy survival stories, it’s a gripping saga that successfully celebrates brotherhood and friendships, despite its grim and tragic themes.
Rating: 8 on 10. Stream the film on Netflix.
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