Directed by: J.A. Bayona
IMDb link: Society of the Snow (2023)
What happens when the world abandons you?
The Story: Abandoned in the Andes
Society of the Snow is a disaster movie that explores the extreme lengths people will go to just to stay alive.
Based on a true story, the film follows a rugby team flying from Uruguay to Chile. But they never make it. Their plane crashes in the middle of the Andes mountains. The group of forty people… mostly under 25 years old… must fight against nature. They have to survive day by day until they can find help.
A Test of Survival: Could You Last?
the impossible choice: starve or survive.
The movie presents a scary scenario. It forces you to ask: How would I manage in a situation like this?
Personally, I doubt I could last more than a few days. Similar to other survival films, Society of the Snow portrays the initial high spirits of the group. But that hope fades fast as the chances of rescue get slim. Eventually, the survivors face a brutal choice: die of starvation, or eat the flesh of the deceased.
What the Director Gets Right
I really appreciated the director’s approach. He chose not to focus on hallucinations or insanity, which are common clichés in survival stories. He kept it grounded.
Also, we get only a brief flashback of about 10 minutes at the start. We learn very little about the individuals on board. This actually works in the film’s favor, since most of the characters are meeting for the first time too.
The acting is solid. Even in the darkness, there are moments of hope… like a small scene with a rhyme, or when they all cling to the hope of staying alive together.
Final Verdict
Overall, Society of the Snow is a compelling movie, though it is a tough watch for obvious reasons.
It is not an easy film to re-watch. But then again, how many disaster movies without a romantic subplot (unlike Titanic) do you really want to watch twice?
Rating: 7/10
