Society of the Snow is the telling of the 1972 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crash. A Rugby team had been flying to Chile when their flight crashed in the middle of the Andes mountains. It is based on the real-life crash and the real circumstances the survivors had to endure before being rescued.
This movie is brutal. From the plane crash to the natural elements unrelenting assault on the survivors, the movie feels like you can never catch your breath. Even with a large cast (there were 45 passengers and crew on the plane), you feel empathy for everyone involved, and your heart breaks when someone dies. The extreme measures they have to take to survive are truly tragic, and knowing it is based on what really happened tore at me.
There are a lot of interesting themes brought up. There are religious undertones throughout the entire movie, which brings up interesting debates among the survivors on what they can do to survive, and the true values of life and death.
The movie looks incredible as well. I had goosebumps watching the survivors experience the extreme cold and the plane crash itself was incredibly brutal to watch. My heart seemingly stopped at that point and the avalanche scene. It also plummeted seeing how the plane blended into the snow, making it impossible for it to be seen from the skies. It also has an incredible score, thanks to the amazing composer Michael Giacchino.
The ending of this movie truly resonated with me. Enzo Vogrinic, who plays Numa, delivers a beautifully haunting narration to the entire movie. While they eventually get rescued, the previous 2 hours of trauma do not leave easy, and you can’t help but think about everyone who didn’t make it and feel sad.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I honestly don’t know how else to discuss this movie, outside of recommending it to everyone. It’s on Netflix now and it is a devastating thriller that will have you very aware of your heartbeat.
