Contains potential SPOILERS for Society of the SnowJ.A. Bayona’s heartfelt disaster movie Society of the Snow tells an incredible story of courage, strength, and ingenuity, but the ultimately uplifting ending makes it easy to forget just how long the survivors managed to last in the mountains. The film is a faithful retelling of the 1972 Andes flight disaster, in which Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 accidentally crashed into the remote Valley of the Tears in Argentina. Although 33 survived the initial crash, only 16 lived through the rest of the ordeal.
Such was the scale of the tragedy that the incident has now been baked into popular culture. Before Bayona’s movie, which claims to be a more realistic representation of the events as they occurred, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 was immortalized in the 1993 movie Alive! starring Ethan Hawke. While each movie focuses on different elements of the real story, Bayona’s film takes pains to show the harrowing impact of exposure to the elements on the characters. The movie was shot chronologically, with the Society of the Snow cast undergoing a controlled weight loss program to better represent the real figures’ starvation. Given this effort and the incredible feats seen in the movie, the full timeline of the survivors’ experience is perhaps even more astonishing.
Society Of The Snow’s Survivors Lived In The Mountains For 72 Days Before Rescue
Despite crashing with an extremely limited supply of food and no clothing designed to withstand the extreme temperatures found in the mountains, Society of the Snow‘s survivors managed to live in the Valley of the Tears for an incredible 72 days. Such a feat explains why many still refer to the incident as the “Miracle of the Andes“. However, ensuring survival involved taking some extreme – and sometimes grisly – measures.
Netflix’s Upcoming Thriller Is Fixing A Huge Problem With Ethan Hawke’s 30-Year-Old Plane Crash Movie
Juan Antonio Bayona’s upcoming Netflix movie Society of The Snow, promises to be a more faithful adaptation of the story than the 1993 movie Alive.
After the plane went down, the survivors were only able to scavenge a paltry collection of provisions, including eight chocolate bars, a tin of mussels, and a tin of almonds. Despite strict rationing, the group soon had to try and eat the stuffing from the plane’s seats, as well as belt and shoe leather. When it was clear that this was not enough to stave off starvation, the survivors made the heartbreaking decision to consume the bodies of the dead – many of whom volunteered themselves willingly in the event of their passing. The fact that the group braved such adversity for 72 days makes their story all the more remarkable.
How The Survivors Were Finally Rescued In Society Of The Snow & Real Life
In many ways, the story of Society of the Snow‘s rescue attempt is just as extraordinary as how the survivors sustained themselves. With survivors continually dying due to the hostile conditions on the mountain, the group concluded that the only way out was to walk to find help. After some debate, a group of three began to climb up the side of the mountain to what they thought would be freedom beyond.
Although one of the group turned back when food supplies began running low, the other two trekked for an incredible 12 days over hostile terrain until they eventually found help in neighboring Chile. From there, after hiking an incredible 38 miles with no specialist equipment, the Chilean Air Force sent three helicopters to assist in rescuing the rest of the stranded survivors, guided by the pair that had made it to safety. Eventually, the remaining 14 were saved from the mountain, ensuring that despite the adversity, Society of the Snow has an inspiring ending.
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
