The Incredible Story of Society of the Snow

The Harrowing Ordeal

J.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.

A group of survivors raise their arms around the fuselage of a crashed plane in the Andes mountains in Society of the Snow.

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.

Images From Society Of The Snow Trailer And Ethan Hawke in Alive 1993

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.

Trailer Stills From Netflix's Society Of The Snow

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.

Trailer Stills From Netflix's Society Of The Snow

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.

Two men embrace and cheer at the sky in Society of the Snow.

The Miracle of the Andes

Society Of The Snow's survivors managed to live in the Valley of the Tears for an incredible 72 days, a feat that explains why many still refer to the incident as the 'Miracle of the Andes'.

society of the snow Enzo Vogrincic Roldán in front of different filming locations

Such a feat involved taking some extreme – and sometimes grisly – measures. Despite the limited supply of food, the survivors 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 Extraordinary Rescue

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.