Directed by:
J.A. BayonaCinematography:
Pedro LuqueComposer:
Michael GiacchinoCast:
Enzo Vogrincic, Matías Recalt, Agustín Pardella, Rafael Federman, Esteban Bigliardi, Alfonsina Carrocio, Paula Baldini, Rogelio Gracia, Pablo Vierci (more)VOD (1)
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Following a plane crash in the remote heart of the Andes, survivors join forces and become each other's best hope as they navigate their way back home. (Netflix)
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Netflix continues to surprise. After the flawless Reptile last fall, it has once again delivered a gem, this time from a Spanish production. Before watching Society of the Snow, I had to catch up on a film about the same historical event, Alive. Honestly, that American film doesn’t hold a candle to its younger Spanish sibling. The Spaniards approached it in a much more realistic, naturalistic way. Watching it was genuinely uncomfortable, leaving a much greater impact on me. Even the unknown and unfamiliar faces were impressive. Considering these guys aren’t very experienced in the film industry, they all gave outstanding performances. I was also pleasantly surprised by the ending, where it didn’t conclude with a rescue helicopter arriving, but instead, some screen time was devoted to the events that followed. Yeah, this will resonate with me for a long time. Fantastic. I give it a well-deserved 9/10. P.S. The plane crash itself shook me like few other things. A flawlessly executed nerve-wracking moment! J.A. Bayona is a master of his craft!
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Bayona was the perfect choice for this kind of story. Even though there’s already a similar film out there and it doesn’t bring much new to the table, Society of the Snow is a blast. After The Impossible, Bayona proves once again that he knows how to handle large-scale disaster scenes. Absolutely intense!
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This well-known story of the air crash in the snow-covered Andes whose survivors had to resort to cannibalism had already been told in the 1993 American film Alive. In comparison with that film, Bayona offers a more modern take with top-quality filmmaking (including excellent camerawork and an intense scene involving the crash itself). In addition to that, he returns this story about the power of the human will and tenacity to the Spanish-speaking realm. But that’s basically all there is to it, because the film naturally doesn’t have much to surprise us with in terms of plot. With few exceptions, the individual characters are interchangeable and their agonisingly bad fortune serves mainly to make an emotional impact on viewers. However, the film is likable in that it is a truly honest and thoroughly realistic survival drama that is unburdened by the necessity of cramming the plot with personal conflicts between the characters, who can thus focus more on the practical side of their own survival. The low degree of pathos and the very subtle and humane approach to the issue of eating human flesh are also pleasing.
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Netflix and J.A. Bayona deliver a reconstruction of the famous story of the plane crash with a rugby team in 1972, and although Alive is good, this more modern package suits it even better. Those who haven't seen the original will enjoy the film even more, but for those who don't remember it like I do, this remake is not harmful. Bayona is an expert on disasters, as he already proved in The Impossible, and the plane crash is brilliantly captured. Unpleasant, realistic, and brutal (that bone-breaking scene was epic, I had to watch it three times), the characters are likable; you will root for them, as the frost, hunger, and hopelessness mercilessly engulf you, which is an important element. I was hoping that cannibalism would be more developed (I hoped they would show some butchering, but that would be entering a different genre). The scene with the avalanche is also good, and despite its longer running time, the film quickly passed by, even though nothing significant or fun happens. Netflix delivered a decent, chilling survival flick right from the start, which will please fans of the genre. The story remains powerful even after all these years. 75%
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A powerful, naturalistic and rigorously presented story. An interesting story from a factual point of view and, strangely enough, from a filmmaking point of view as well, as the creators do not shy away from depicting many harsh scenes and great shots of the snowy Andean environment, as well as a dose of suspense while wandering through the mountains and an equally emotional aspect that, especially in the end, makes the audience reflect on the whole event. A superb disaster movie that is good on many levels and that brings the audience closer to an event they probably had no idea about.
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![Society of the Snow - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/168/485/168485165_r7qreg.jpg)
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