Society of the Snow (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
Based on Uruguayan journalist Pablo Vierci's 2009 book, 'Society of the Snow' (helmed by Spanish director J.A. Bayona, of The Impossible, A Monster Calls) tells the harrowing, but ultimately inspirational real-life story about the catastrophic 1972 Andes Mountains plane crash from a Uruguay charter flight to Chile. There has been a 1976 movie made about this story, as well as the more mainstream Alive from 1993; which was directed by Frank Marshall & starred Ethan Hawke. Said charter flight that crashed in an extremely remote valley of the Andes near the Argentina/Chile was carrying a talented rugby team, their acquaintances, & family members from Montevideo Uruguay to Santiago, Chile for a match; 45 people were aboard.
The book is told from the perspectives of the 16 survivors of Flight 571. But the screenplay includes the distinct decision to make 24 yr. old law student Numa Turcatti (Enzo Vogrincic), the tale's main narrator & moral conscience. The crash scene is terrifically shot; showing the flittering, yet increasing turbulence that rocks the plane; then transitions into the chilling crash that occurs once the right wing clips the crest of a seen-too-late mountaintop. 12 of the 45 people aboard are killed instantly {critical injury, blown out the back of the plane}, including the 3 crew members. Several other survivors were gravely injured. And the blind spot of the ultimate crash site {once it plummets into the bottom of a glacier} makes it invisible to rescue planes.
Whilst listening to the news on a transistor radio, the survivors are dismayed & crushed to hear that the search is called off after only 8 days. The time spent at the crash site is depicted as an absolutely atrocious time, as the survivors argue, bond, laugh together, cry together, run out of food, lose strength & determination, grieve the dead, & endure the frigid, hostile conditions -- including not 1, but 2(!!) TERRIFYING avalanches {these sequences rattled me even more than the crash}. Grieving the death of his sister, Nando is hell bent on surviving. Having no more food, Nando behests the survivors to use the dead bodies packed in ice in the plane's front storage section ... as their only source of food -- talk about being traumatized even more so.
This raises intense moral questions and, a spirited debate occurs. Some think it is a sin, period; others believe it to be a crime; and others of them are simply repulsed by it. This movie does not graphically show the cannibalism {most rationed, bite sized meat is packed in ice, so as to shield from the eyes what they're actually ingesting} ... but said cannibalism becomes a huge part of the psychological drama they all endure. In total, the survivors remain stuck there for 72 days, until spring weather allows 2 of them, Nando Parrado & Roberto Canessa (Agustin Pardella, Matias Recalt), to treacherously hike to Chile {10 days journey away}. The survivors are finally rescued when Nando & Roberto encounter a horseman who alerts the authorities.
What I can say about this film is that it is of a very high quality. Everything from the astute direction, to the intriguing script {those philosophical conversations}, to the starkly picturesque cinematography, to the period production designs, to the INCREDIBLE make-up work {varying injuries, battered bodies, frostbite, etc}, to the scintillating sound work, to the uber-realistic visual effects, to Michael Giacchino's music, to the stellar performances from the ensemble cast ... 'Society of the Snow' greatly impresses. Now, despite this being a tear-jerker of a movie and, despite me crying easily during films, 'something' about this kept me at an arm's length, emotionally -- I can't put my finger on why; maybe it went on a touch long, or maybe I grew weary of the misery. But I nitpick. I can't deny the power of this miraculous story and how well it was executed by J.A. Bayona.
The book is told from the perspectives of the 16 survivors of Flight 571. But the screenplay includes the distinct decision to make 24 yr. old law student Numa Turcatti (Enzo Vogrincic), the tale's main narrator & moral conscience. The crash scene is terrifically shot; showing the flittering, yet increasing turbulence that rocks the plane; then transitions into the chilling crash that occurs once the right wing clips the crest of a seen-too-late mountaintop. 12 of the 45 people aboard are killed instantly {critical injury, blown out the back of the plane}, including the 3 crew members. Several other survivors were gravely injured. And the blind spot of the ultimate crash site {once it plummets into the bottom of a glacier} makes it invisible to rescue planes.
Whilst listening to the news on a transistor radio, the survivors are dismayed & crushed to hear that the search is called off after only 8 days. The time spent at the crash site is depicted as an absolutely atrocious time, as the survivors argue, bond, laugh together, cry together, run out of food, lose strength & determination, grieve the dead, & endure the frigid, hostile conditions -- including not 1, but 2(!!) TERRIFYING avalanches {these sequences rattled me even more than the crash}. Grieving the death of his sister, Nando is hell bent on surviving. Having no more food, Nando behests the survivors to use the dead bodies packed in ice in the plane's front storage section ... as their only source of food -- talk about being traumatized even more so.
This raises intense moral questions and, a spirited debate occurs. Some think it is a sin, period; others believe it to be a crime; and others of them are simply repulsed by it. This movie does not graphically show the cannibalism {most rationed, bite sized meat is packed in ice, so as to shield from the eyes what they're actually ingesting} ... but said cannibalism becomes a huge part of the psychological drama they all endure. In total, the survivors remain stuck there for 72 days, until spring weather allows 2 of them, Nando Parrado & Roberto Canessa (Agustin Pardella, Matias Recalt), to treacherously hike to Chile {10 days journey away}. The survivors are finally rescued when Nando & Roberto encounter a horseman who alerts the authorities.
What I can say about this film is that it is of a very high quality. Everything from the astute direction, to the intriguing script {those philosophical conversations}, to the starkly picturesque cinematography, to the period production designs, to the INCREDIBLE make-up work {varying injuries, battered bodies, frostbite, etc}, to the scintillating sound work, to the uber-realistic visual effects, to Michael Giacchino's music, to the stellar performances from the ensemble cast ... 'Society of the Snow' greatly impresses. Now, despite this being a tear-jerker of a movie and, despite me crying easily during films, 'something' about this kept me at an arm's length, emotionally -- I can't put my finger on why; maybe it went on a touch long, or maybe I grew weary of the misery. But I nitpick. I can't deny the power of this miraculous story and how well it was executed by J.A. Bayona.