Society of the Snow, 2023.
Directed by J.A. Bayona.
Starring Enzo Vogrincic, Agustín Pardella, Matías Recalt, Tomas Wolf, Diego Ariel Vegezzi, Esteban Kukuriczka, Francisco Romero, Rafael Federman, Felipe González Otaño, Agustín Della Corte, Valentino Alonso, Simon Hempe, Fernando Contigiani García, Benjamín Segura, Luciano Chatton, Agustín Berruti, Juan Caruso, Rocco Posca, Andy Pruss, Esteban Bigliardi, Paula Baldini, Blas Polidori, Felipe Ramusio Mora, Santiago Vaca Narvaja, Emanuel Parga, Alfonsina Carrocio, Federico Aznárez, Iair Said, Maxi De La Cruz, Louta, Lucas Mascarena, Lautaro Bakir, and Virgínia Kauffmann.
SYNOPSIS:
The flight of a rugby team crashes on a glacier in the Andes. The few passengers who survive the crash find themselves in one of the world’s toughest environments to survive.
In 1972, a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team en route to Chile crash-landed in the Andes, forcing everyone on board (teammates, family members, partners) into a grueling battle for survival against the bitter cold. It might not sound like director J.A. Bayona is reinventing the wheel or doing something original here this story has been told multiple times and referenced all over the entertainment world), but he also doesn’t have to since his exceptional craftsmanship as a filmmaker allows viewers to sense a firm grasp of these bitter weather conditions (causing urine to turn black, a grotesque sight if I have ever seen one and something that will make you hurt just from watching it) and how punishing the fight to stay alive is.
Filmed at the real-life crash site, it looks like a nightmare to shoot, let alone something to survive in reality. With immersive cinematography from Pedro Luque putting viewers right there getting buried under snow inside the plane with these characters and a sensitive approach to the fact that, yes, the people left alive had to start eating the dead ones for nourishment, Society of the Snow is a visceral, harrowing experience. Despite all of that, there is an alluring beauty to the vistas, stomach-churning aerial perspectives (with characters going up and down mountains), and the scenery; it’s visually stunning in all its merciless frigidity. A rousing, swelling, moving score from all-time great composer Michael Giacchino enhances the proceedings.
J.A. Bayona is working from journalist Pablo Vierci’s book, which interviewed the survivors, and a screenplay from several writers, including the filmmaker himself, Nicolás Casariego, Jaime Marques, and Bernat Vilaplana. It’s worth pointing out that, while it was always going to be near impossible to get a strong understanding of who each and every one of these 40+ characters fighting for survival is, the dialogue is profound and piercing, giving the important players something of note to say or do, or something philosophical to talk about. As a result, Society of the Snow is one of the rare times it’s not much of a fault where the characterization is lacking because the emphasis is pointedly on the unthinkable and dehumanizing struggle to survive, laced with moving moments of connection, grieving, and potent dialogue exchanges.
Numa Turcatti (Enzo Vogrincic, and it’s worth mentioning that this is a largely unknown, majorly effective Spanish-speaking ensemble) is one of the stranded, also serving as a narrator and a bridge between the ever-evolving conversation of what’s right and wrong to do in this situation. He isn’t one of the rugby players but actually an aspiring law student who joined the trip for a chance to vacation with his friends since there won’t be many opportunities in the future. Naturally, he is adamantly against everyone eating the dead for food but succumbs to doing the same thing out of necessity. It’s a painful arc to watch, witnessing someone grappling with morality during such a horrific scenario while also trying to maintain the humanity of others.
There are also numerous problem-solving side adventures, such as some characters going on a trip to the detached back of the plane, searching for parts to repair the radio. Speaking of that, the initial crash sequence is terrifyingly brutal. That’s to be expected, but it is still a way to top that, staged with horrifying destruction and pieces of metal becoming unstuck and wedged into body parts. Entire rows of seats detached from the ground and flung forward with a wincing impact. It’s an appropriately nightmarish segment setting the stage for the hell to come.
For those unfamiliar with the story being told, I won’t say who or how many survive, but rather that despite a 140-minute running time centered on the theme that these people are no longer human based on what they have had to do to survive, it is a bit disappointing that Society of the Snow abruptly ends without giving a glimpse into how difficult it must have been for any of these people to ingratiate themselves back into normal society, the PTSD they must have carried with them for the rest of their lives, and the emotional baggage.
Again, J.A. Bayona has crafted a remarkable survival film, but there is that sneaking suspicion that this could have been even more than that. Still, what is here is a shattering, tasteful, impeccably crafted look at the horrors of an unforgiving situation and a triumph of the human spirit through unity.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
