Society of the Snow: A Gripping and Almost Entirely Accurate Retelling
A detailed look at the new disaster movie 'Society of the Snow' and its portrayal of the 1972 Andes plane crash and the tragic events that followed.
The Gripping Tale of Survival
The new disaster movie Society of the Snow offers a gripping and almost entirely accurate retelling of the 1972 Andes plane crash and the tragic events that followed. The film features a cast made of entirely South American actors, particularly of Argentine and Uruguayan descent, and is being heralded by families of the real-life passengers, both living and deceased, as the most honorable and accurate cinematic depiction of the events.
A group of survivors raise their arms around the fuselage of a crashed plane in the Andes mountains in Society of the Snow.
Those who did survive and were eventually rescued after 72 days in blistering cold and dangerous conditions were forced to resort to cannibalism, feeding on the bodies of the deceased. Society of the Snow is Spain's official submission for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards and is also nominated for a Golden Globe in a similar category.
The 16 survivors in Society of the Snow in the hospital
The story has previously been dramatized in the 1993 movie 'Alive' which was directed by Frank Marshall and starred Ethan Hawke as the real-life Nando Parrado. While both movies depict the astonishing true story of endurance, survival, and the desperation to stay alive by any means necessary, Society of the Snow explores new avenues of philosophy and morality, and portrays the incredible true story like never before.
Trailer Stills From Netflix's Society Of The Snow
Behind the Scenes Revelations
Director J.A. Bayona revealed some interesting insights about the portrayal of the true events in 'Society of the Snow'. For instance, the film does not depict one aspect of the true flight path before the plane crash in the Andes. On the flight to Santiago, Chile, they stopped in Mendoza for weather conditions and spent one night in the city. But this pause in the journey was left out of the movie due to runtime constraints.
the survivors sitting in and around the broken fuselage in Society of the Snow
Another revelation was made about the rescue operations. While the movie shows only one helicopter rescue, in reality, there were two rescue operations to take the survivors out on helicopter. The first trip only took half of them, and a group of the rescue people stayed with the survivors and spent a night with them. Then another helicopter took them out the day after. This change in the portrayal was likely done to capture the celebratory nature of the rescue as well as emphasize the solidarity between the survivors.
The survivors of Society of the Snow before the avalanche.
The film also takes creative liberties with the portrayal of the pilot and co-pilot. The pilot of the plane is given a brief scene in the movie, which was added for dramatic effect, as the actual pilot died on impact as soon as the plane crashed. Similarly, the co-pilot, who survived the crash but only for about one day, was portrayed differently in the movie to make it easier to understand for the audience.
Agustín Pardella as Nando Parrado in Society of the Snow
Real-life Events vs. Cinematic Portrayal
The gripping survival story in 'Society of the Snow' is based on real-life events, but there are differences between the actual events and their cinematic portrayal. For example, the heroic act of bravery that saved the survivors from suffocating in the movie was attributed to a character named Numa, but in reality, it was Nando who performed this act.
Daniel Maspons (Santiago Vaca Narvaja) climbing up a mountain in Society of the Snow.
The movie also depicts a hike to Chile where the characters had enough food for a ten-day journey, whereas in reality, they only had three days' worth of food. There are also differences in the route taken by the characters, with Roberto and Nando arguing over their route to Chile, leading to dramatic and challenging moments during their journey.
Susana 'Susy' Parrado (Alfonsina Carrocio) and Fernando 'Nando' Parrado (Agustín Pardella) in Society of the Snow.
Furthermore, the aftermath of the 1972 Andes plane crash, including the survivors' initial reluctance to reveal the truth about their survival, is left unaddressed in the film. The media circus and sensationalism that followed the survivors' press conference, known as the Miracle of the Andes, is mostly left out of the cinematic portrayal.
Two men embrace and cheer at the sky in Society of the Snow.
