As we saw with the Post Office crisis, nothing reveals the miseries of our reality like a genuine tale turned into a drama.
In Society of the Snow, not only are livelihoods at stake, but also the lives of the passengers aboard Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, who ended themselves battling for their lives in the Andes.
On October 13, 1972, an aircraft carrying 45 people set off from Uruguay for Chile, but they never arrived.
Instead, the jet crashed into the brutal snow-covered countryside, leaving all on board to face the elements in the hope of survival.
Known as “The Miracle of the Andes,” those who survived the accident embarked on a hard 72-day journey back to civilization via one of the world’s most remote and inaccessible areas.
This 2023 version of the 1993 film Alive, starring Ethan Hawke, provides detailed accounts of the survivors’ experiences in their own tongue.
The crash has been referenced across pop culture, since it inspired the TV series Yellowjackets and was even parodied in Rick and Morty.
The major source for this 2023 version of the 50-year-old catastrophe is Pablo Vierci’s 2008 book, a journalist and acquaintance of the survivors.
J.A Bayona’s decade-long endeavour is now available on Netflix, and audiences have been shocked by the story, hailing it as ‘unforgettable’.
‘SOCIETY OF THE SNOW is now available to watch on #Netflix and I cannot recommend it enough! One of the most unforgettable, harrowing & technically astounding films of the year!’ Matt Neglia wrote on X.
Jessie Noctis added: ‘Ever watch a film that changes you in a fundamental way? This. This is it for me.
‘Society of the Snow (2023) a brutal story of survival against all odds. This film is absolutely not for the faint of heart, and it’s 100% true.’
Every detail of the film has been praised, with Will Mavity tweeting: ‘The Society of the Snow makeup team is the Oscar winning Pan’s Labyrinth team and damn do they deserve to make the Oscar 5. Really incredible work capturing aging, bruised, frost bitten and weather beaten skin.’
This genuine story has been shortlisted for Oscar Best International Feature Film and longlisted for Bafta Best Film not in English Language.
Bayona wanted to verify authenticity, so he travelled to the accident site and spent over 100 hours with the 15 remaining survivors, who are now in their 70s.
The relatives of those who are no longer alive were also approached to ensure everyone was on board, with cast member Carlitos Páez portraying his own father.
As the film confronts malnutrition, mortality, and frigid weather, the cast, which included many novices, dropped weight during filming with the help of physicians and nutritionists.
Given the lengths the crew took to survive, the topic of food is delicate, but Bayona has been applauded for treating it with care.
It was discovered that the group had made a covenant to donate their body parts after death so that those who remained would have food to eat, causing an initial public outrage.
‘We preferred to evoke emotions rather than show explicit images,’ he told The Independent of the directorial choices to focus on the men’s mental state rather than any graphic imagery.
He added: ‘The actors were brave and committed wholeheartedly to their performances, experiencing a small measure of the cold and hunger the survivors would have endured.’
The Society of the Snow is available to watch now on Netflix.