WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Society of the Snow.
Society of the Snow has been celebrated for its undeniable authenticity in the portrayal of the 1972 Andes plane crash and the survivors’ incredible and harrowing true story. With that being said, any given movie cannot fully capture the complete extent of a real-life scenario in order to maintain a logical pace and composition of the narrative. As a result, some key details of the true story were omitted from Society of the Snow, which is not to say that it is any less accurate. Rather, the film is more focused on highlighting certain other significant aspects of the remarkable true story.
Society of the Snow was released on Netflix on January 4, 2024, and has quickly become one of the most popular films on the streaming platform. The film is also Spain’s official submission for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards and was also nominated for a Golden Globe in a similar category. Directed by Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona (The Impossible, A Monster Calls, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), the film was carefully crafted after many hours of interviews were conducted with the real-life survivors and with the permission of the families of the deceased to use their actual names in the film.
Related
What Happened To Every Real-Life Survivor After Society Of The Snow
All 16 survivors of the 1972 Andes plane crash depicted in Society of the Snow went on to have fulfilling lives. Many wrote books and became speakers.
10 Two-Day Rescue Operation
While the ending of Society of the Snow displays the fourteen survivors being rescued all at once by Chilean military helicopters, one of which Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa are in, the true story is much different. On day 71 after the crash, a group of survivors were rescued while some of them stayed one more night. The weight limits of the helicopters only permitted them to take half of the group, so they were not all rescued at once like in the movie.
9 Public Backlash To Cannibalism
A major omission of the survivors’ story in Society of the Snow is the amount of public backlash they originally got once they came clean about their method of survival out in the Andes. The media frenzy following the survivors’ rescue forced the survivors to hold a press conference just days after they were saved and explain that they had resorted to cannibalism as a means to survive. Originally, the survivors had told the press that they survived on packaged goods and were not going to disclose that information publicly.
8 Press Accusations Against Survivors
Following the public backlash against the survivors for resorting to cannibalism, the press started to question the integrity of the survivors altogether, finding their initial attempt to conceal the truth about cannibalism distasteful and antagonistic. The press even went so far as to accuse the survivors of killing fellow travelers from the plane, which was a completely baseless and damaging allegation. Society of the Snow leaves this part out to highlight the truths of the experience rather than the circus of lies and accusations of the press.
7 Admonishment Of Sins By The Catholic Church
As portrayed in Society of the Snow, many of the characters in the movie and real-life passengers were devout Catholics and believed they would be punished or damned in the eyes of God for resorting to cannibalism. In response, the Catholic Church officially admonished the survivors of all guilt, determining that they had not committed mortal sin by resorting to cannibalism given the extraordinary circumstances of their situation. This crucial detail was left out of Society of the Snow, although it could have been included in a post-credits epilogue segment.
Related
12 Biggest Differences Between Society Of The Snow & Alive’s Portrayals Of The Andes Flight Disaster (30 Years Apart)
While 2023’s Society of the Snow and 1993’s Alive essentially tell the same story, there are several major differences between the two films.
6 Roberto Found A Road On The Hike To Chile
One of the biggest plot points that was left out of Society of the Snow was the fact that in real life Roberto Canessa had discovered a road while he and Nando Parrado were hiking to Chile towards the end of the film. The two discussed which way to go and decided to continue going forward on their path through the Andes mountains thinking they were much closer to Chile than they actually were. Years later, Canessa would realize that they would likely have been saved sooner if they had taken that road.
5 The Flight Stopped For A Night In Argentina
Another key true story plot detail that was omitted from Society of the Snow was the fact that before the crash, the plane had spent one night in Mendoza, Argentina due to weather concerns. Ironically, the weather played a large part in the crash the following day, but Society of the Snow chose not to feature the rugby team’s one night in Mendoza. This omitted scene arguably would have enhanced the film by allowing the audience to get to know some of the characters on a more personal level before the tragic events that were to come.
4 Roberto Canessa Ran For President Of Uruguay
Society of the Snow ended on the closing note of the survivors’ rescue and did not go further into what the sixteen men did with the rest of their lives, which admittedly would have been a nice feature. Roberto Canessa, for instance, became a doctor and motivational speaker and even ran for President of Uruguay in 1994. Canessa did not win, but these details were missed from Society of the Snow and would have arguably ended the film with more completeness.
Related
Society Of The Snow Ending Explained
Society of the Snow retells the story of the 1972 Andes plane crash with great accuracy, allowing the viewer to interpret the outcome for themselves.
3 The Deceased Were Buried In A Single Grave
The bodies of the deceased were also interestingly left unaddressed by the end of Society of the Snow. In reality, they were all buried near the crash site together in one common grave by Argentine authorities in an area that was considered safe from avalanches. A Chilean priest was also there during the burial process, but the families of the deceased were not allowed to attend, likely due to the gruesome nature of the event and the dangerous conditions of the Andes.
2 The Survivors Burned Items Trying To Draw Attention
One key detail of the survivors’ journey that was left out of Society of the Snow was how they would burn multiple items in an attempt to draw attention from airplanes in the sky from the flames and the smoke. The survivors burned several items such as clothing but did not have much to burn and were ultimately unsuccessful, which is likely why it wasn’t a major part of the plot in Society of the Snow.
1 The Pilot Falsely Told Survivors They Were Close To Chile
The real-life co-pilot told some of the survivors before he died that they were close to Chile, which turned out not to be true. Firstly, the actual pilot died on impact during the plane crash, while the co-pilot was wounded and trapped in his seat in the cockpit as depicted in the movie. The pilot falsely tells them they are near the Chilean city of Curico, which inspired Nando and Roberto to hike up the Andes only to discover that they were much farther from civilization than they had thought in Society of the Snow.
Society of the Snow
- Release Date
- December 15, 2023
- Director
- J.A. Bayona
- Cast
- Matías Recalt , Agustin Pardella , Felipe González Otaño , Luciano Chatton , Valentino Alonso , Francisco Romero , Agustín Berruti , Andy Pruss
- Runtime
- 144 Minutes
