The Harrowing Conditions in Society of the Snow and the Explanation Behind the Black Pee
An in-depth look at the extreme conditions faced by the survivors in Society of the Snow and the medical reasons behind the black pee.
The Desperate Struggle for Survival
WARNING! This article contains spoilers for Society of the Snow! The survivors in Society of the Snow had to contend with life-threatening conditions in the Andes mountains, and their bodies took a toll because of it, going so far as turning their pee black. Malnutrition, dehydration, and extremely low temperatures were just some of the harsh conditions the real life survivors of the Andes flight disaster had to overcome on the mountain. These factors influenced their decision to eat the passengers who had died in the crash to endure the 72 days the survivors lived in the Andes.
Numa and the passengers of the plane in Society of the Snow
After seven days, the survivors began to seriously consider resorting to cannibalism as a means to survive. The food they had managed to find in the luggage surrounding the crash site had run out, despite their rationing. The survivors had no idea where they had crashed in Society of the Snow, and things were looking bleak. To illustrate how dire their situation was, many of them noted that their pee had turned black. That comment and the subsequent shot of the black pee could be confusing, but there is a harrowing medical reason for the color.
When the survivors were debating about eating the dead bodies, Roberto mentioned that they had not had any food or water for seven days and seven nights. This prompted several other survivors to comment that their pee had turned black. Their pee had actually turned dark brown, which is a sign of severe dehydration. At that point in Society of the Snow's story, the survivors were still waiting for rescue and hadn't plotted out a strategy for long-term survival. Because of that, their lack of food and water took a toll on their bodies, which presented in their urine.
The Impact of Dehydration and Extreme Conditions
Society Of The Snow's Black Pee Explained. As Roberto explained, dehydration was an extremely dangerous condition for the survivors to worry about. He said that their bodies, including their brains, would dry out, preventing them from thinking rationally if they did not find water to hydrate with. This also helps explain why many of the survivors finally agreed with the decision to eat the other passengers, as the human meat contained water that would hydrate them and keep them alive.
While dehydration was a major problem, it wasn't the only threat the survivors faced before Society of the Snow's ending. With the freezing temperatures of the Andes mountains, many survivors suffered from frostbite and hypothermia. Several people died from these conditions, like Susana, whose feet had turned black due to frostbite before her death. The cold was also one of the main factors that prevented the survivors from seeking a way off the mountain until day 61, as they had to wait for the thaw. The three survivors who originally went to search for the tail of the plane barely made it through the night without shelter from the elements. Additionally, many of the survivors had broken bones and severe cuts from the crash itself. Arturo and Rafael were the most prominent survivors with these conditions, as they both died due to infections from these wounds. Numa received a cut to his leg while trying to dig free from the avalanche, which contributed to his decline in health and eventual death. Nando also suffered from severe head trauma which put him into a coma at the beginning of Society of the Snow and explained his black, swollen eyes.
The 16 survivors in Society of the Snow in the hospital
The Miraculous Rescue and the True Story
Society of the Snow tells the true story of the Andes flight disaster, and it doesn't pull any punches describing how awful the conditions were. Black pee from dehydration was just one of the many ways the movie showed the extreme conditions the survivors and the fallen faced, along with starvation, hypothermia, and other injuries. With the odds so stacked against them, the ending of the movie and the rescue become even more miraculous.
