The story of the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in 1972 in one of the remotest parts of the Andes and into the most hostile terrain imaginable has been revisited time and again in documentaries and feature films – most notably 1993’s Alive! directed by Frank Marshall. But there’s a reason the story remains so compelling; it’s an extraordinary tale of survival against impossible odds and the implacable determination of the human spirit in the direst of circumstances. J.A. Bayona has adapted the book by Uruguayan journalist Pablo Vierci and has used his experiences in making the powerful 2012 film The Impossible, the story of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Thailand, to revisit one of the most remarkable, tragic and yet curiously life-affirming real-life stories of recent memory.
When a combination of turbulence, shocking weather and co-pilot inexperience causes the 571 to come down in the Andes, many of the crew and passengers – including some of the young members of a Uruguayan rugby team travelling to Chile – are killed outright. Others die in the blistering cold in the days to come. Food supplies are scarce, and the weather never lets up. With their strength weakening and no sign of help on the way, the dwindling band of survivors are forced to make a harrowing decision involving the frozen bodies of those who perished if they are to have a hope of surviving the bitter winter.
Bayona brings the story to the screen by focusing on the bravery, heroism and stoicism of the survivors and presents the manner of their survival as a simple and unavoidable judgement call. There’s no sense of outrage here or sensationalism in depicting what the boys must do just to stay alive. Eventually, a couple of the boys set off across the snow-capped mountains and, against the odds, find their way to civilization. The ensuing rescue scenes – 16 of the boys survived – are incredibly emotional, and the evidence of their physical deterioration when they eventually get home is shocking and sobering. Society of the Snow is more gripping and terrifying than any horror story, but in the end, it’s a testament to what human beings can do when they are forced to work together rather than fight one another.
SOCIETY OF THE SNOW is streaming on Netflix now.
