The beginning of every year is usually a dumping ground for cinema. It’s a sort of studio fire sale, where they dust off the films that shouldn’t see the light of day and throw them into theaters to make room for better films later in the year. This is usually a two month stint, so it seems strange that “Society of the Snow” would hit Netflix at the very beginning of January. This probably has something to do with the late success of last year’s “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which also had an early January release and snuck up on just about every Oscars shortlist. I don’t know if this will be able to duplicate that same success, but that is more of an indictment on release strategy than actual movie.
The film itself is fantastic; a brutal, harrowing tale of survival that grips you with stunning visuals and emotional resonance. Add to that the fact that this is a true story who’s lack of embellishment in lieu of a more realistic retelling actually enhances just how horrifying the fight to stay alive truly was. “Society of the Snow” is a thrilling, visceral, terrifying portrayal of a true story that leaves you on the edge of your seat praying for a miracle that, even if you know the story, are never quite sure will actually come.
Written and Directed by J. A. Bayona (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom“) with longtime editor (serving as a co-writer here) Bernat Vilaplana (“A Monster Calls,” “Crimson Peak“), “Society of the Snow” is an adaption of a book by Pablo Vierci of the same name. It documents the accounts of all 16 survivors of the 1972 Andes flight disaster, in which a flight carrying 40 passages and 5 crew members crashed into the Andes mountains in the middle of winter and wasn’t found for 72 days. Of the 45 people on the manifest, only 33 survived past the first few days, and all but 16 were left standing by the time they were finally rescued. The film follows their fight for survival in great detail, exploring the lengths they all had to go through to make it in an environment in which nothing is expected to survive.
Bayona masterfully crafts a real life tragedy that feels as real as it was, stripping down the glamorization and dramatization to deliver a more grounded, gritty portrayal. It is in the attention to detail and dedication to real life events that makes “Society of the Snow” feel every bit of its terrifying experience. This is not for the faint of heart, and Bayona smartly frames his brutality without overly graphic scenery yet still compels you to close your eyes or gasp at the screen with each new event and obstacle that befalls our survivors. It shies away from nothing, but does so by expressing it all through a deep emotional connection to the characters. You may not be able to name every person you see, but all of them feel real and have some contribution to their fight to live. “Society of the Snow” uses its human connectedness to immediately entangle us in their lives so that when disaster strikes, we feel every set back, death and triumph. You simply can’t help but root for them to make it, and there are so many moments that constantly make you question whether they will actually survive.
Bayona engrosses you in the hellish snow capped landscapes who’s only purpose is to destroy, and it is here where “Society of the Snow” really feels its grit and thrill. Rather than go for broke with more bombastic visuals ala “Jurassic World,” he strives to make you feel as if YOU are one of the survivors fighting for your life. This is truly masterful work, with each action set piece beautifully crafted and expressive. It conveys the very definition of harrowing, and makes their actual survival feel all that more triumphant even when it comes at the loss of so many. There is genuine authenticity here, a spirit of perseverance, faith, and the will to live that permeates every single frame. It is truly a miracle that anyone survived this horrific experience at all, and “Society of the Snow” never sacrifices anything to demonstrate just how much they had to endure and what it cost them to see it through. It is powerful stuff, the kind of film that dazzles with stunning action sequences then cuts like a knife with emotion.
Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoy the 1993 film “Alive,” which is based on the same disaster. But there is something to be said about filling your cast with people who more closely resemble the actual survivors. Again, it’s the authenticity of both the story, tragedy, and characters that make “Society of the Snow” feel more impactful. These are small but important things that elevate films; let people make their own movies. There is a unique passion and connection to this story not found in “Alive” that is omnipresent in “Society of the Snow,” and even though they are telling the exact same story, the latter does so with a sense of urgency and authentic connection to the people who lived to tell the tale. It is just great filmmaking, and something I hope Bayona focuses more on. He clearly has a knack for tight, deeply human stories vs big budget CGI dino-fighting, and while I won’t fault anyone for taking a fat Universal Studios check to make a pretty awful sequel, “Society of the Snow” is where Bayona’s strengths truly lie.
The story is told through an unreliable narrator, and the events are so unbelievable and span 2 and half months that it is impossible to capture the totality of the tragedy. “Society of the Snow” certainly achieves more than you’d expect, feeling the length of isolation and hopeless and constant death without ever feeling its length in runtime. But because there is so much to this story, it does often drive you to pull out your phone and start googling what happened. Again, that’s not a knock on the film itself. On the contrary, it’s actually a compliment that you would want to fill in some of the gaps and learn as much as you can about the real 1972 Andes flight disaster. There isn’t much that’s left out of “Society of the Snow,” but after taking this journey with these characters, you’ll want to know more about the aftermath which, for the sake of time isn’t really elaborated on. The film is primarily focused on the survival of the event itself, the hardships they had to endure and the triumph of the human spirit that accomplished unheard of feats to stay alive and ultimately be rescued.
The cast is comprised of Uruguayan (the country of origin from which the flight departed) and Argentinian actors, many of whom are largely unknown or relatively new to the big screen.
It is a great start to the year, a film I don’t know that everyone can stomach but one I would most certainly recommend to anyone willing to take the journey. This is as good as Netflix gets, and I hope they fill their queue with more quality films this one.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
“Society of the Snow” is now streaming on Netflix. You can watch the trailer below.
