Netflix has a number of films that they’re pushing this awards season, but the one that I think could be a dark horse contender is Society of the Snow. JA Bayona’s film, centering on the Uruguayan 1972 Andes flight crash, is more than a survival thriller or disaster movie, it’s a story about keeping the faith and your humanity in the midst of unimaginable tragedy, when it would be so easy to give up hope.
Basically, if you’ve seen the 1993 movie Alive then you know the basic contours of the story. But where that film, comprised largely of Caucasian actors, came to be known as “the cannibal movie”, you won’t leave Society of the Snow with that simplistic of an impression. The cast is led by Enzo Vogrincic, Agustín Pardella, Matías Recalt, Esteban Bigliardi, Diego Vegezzi, Fernando Contigiani García, and Esteban Kukuriczka, all Uruguayan and Argentine actors who are largely unknowns here in America. They play members of a close-knit rugby team who were part of the 45 passengers aboard the flight. Only 29 passengers survived the 72-day ordeal, fighting to survive the harsh climate, extreme hunger, and hopelessness of being stranded in the Andes mountains with only one another for support.
Spain has chosen Society of the Snow as its official entry for the Best International Film Oscar, and I believe it has a good shot at winning.
Here’s the synopsis: In 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which had been chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile, crashed in the heart of the Andes. Only 29 of its 45 passengers survived the accident. Trapped in one of the most hostile and inaccessible environments on the planet, they have to resort to extreme measures to stay alive.
Society of the Snow opens in select theaters on December 22nd before streaming on Netflix beginning January 4th 2024. You don’t want to miss it, and I highly recommend seeing it in a theater because the sound editing is remarkable.
