How filmmakers brought the true story behind Society of the Snow to life

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On 13 October 1972, a flight with 45 individuals on board took off from Uruguay. The passengers had been a rugby group, principally of their late teenagers and early twenties, on their method to play a match in Chile. But the aircraft by no means made it there, as an alternative crash touchdown in The Andes mountains. Those who survived discovered themselves stranded in a single of the most inaccessible and inhospitable locations possible.

What occurred over the subsequent 72 days is named ‘The Miracle of the Andes’, and is one of the biggest survival tales of the final century. Now over 50 years on, a brand new movie tells the outstanding story of the crash and what occurred afterwards.

Shortlisted for Oscar Best International Feature Film, and longlisted for BAFTA Best Film not in the English Language, Society of the Snow is the outcome of a decade-long challenge by director J.A Bayona. The movie relies on a 2008 guide of the similar identify by Pablo Vierci, a journalist and pal of the survivors. While the story has impressed a movie earlier than – 1993’s Alive, starring Ethan Hawke – that is the first time it has been dramatised in the language of these concerned, and in such reasonable element. It goes to nice lengths to not solely depict the fact of what occurred in 1972, however to honour the experiences of those that survived – and the reminiscence of the ladies and men and who didn’t.

Extreme circumstances

Director J.A Bayona prioritised authenticity and realism, which frequently meant fliming in tough circumstances in the Sierra Nevada mountains

(QUIM VIVES/NETFLIX)

Bringing a harrowing true story to the display will not be contemporary floor for Bayona, whose 2012 movie The Impossible depicted the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. But Society of the Snow brought with it a really particular set of challenges. “One of our main decisions was to go for authenticity and realism,” says Bayona. That meant, moderately than utilizing units, taking pictures in tough circumstances excessive up in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Granada. They additionally filmed scenes in the Andes and Chile. “No member of the team had ever made a film before in such extreme circumstances,” says Bayona.

To put together for filming and immerse himself in the story, the director visited the website of the crash in the Andes – the place a memorial now stands. The filmmakers spent over 100 hours with the 15-remaining survivors, now throughout 70, in addition to the households of those that died. Ensuring they had been absolutely onboard was important, says Bayona. One of them, Carlitos Páez, performs his personal father in the movie.

Open auditions occurred in Uruguay and Argentina to solid the movie – with over 2000 individuals coming ahead. Many of the movie’s stars are newcomers, and Bayona inspired them to improvise whereas filming. To replicate what the actual males went by, they misplaced weight over the course of filming, supervised by medical doctors and nutritionists.

“The actors were brave and committed wholeheartedly to their performances, experiencing a small measure of the cold and hunger the survivors would have endured,” says Bayona. Painstaking element additionally went into the movie’s costumes, making certain the color palette and materials had been genuine to the Seventies, and the put on and tear to their garments over time was reasonable.

A way method

The solid rehearsed for 2 month earlier than filming started, so the actors might type a bond related to the individuals stranded on the mountain

(QUIM VIVES/NETFLIX)

The solid rehearsed for 2 months collectively prior to filming. Bayona wished them to type a bond related to these stranded on the mountain. The movie’s title is how the survivors referred to themselves up on the mountain, the place survival relied on them working collectively as equals. If they stood any likelihood of leaving the mountain, no-one could possibly be extra vital than anybody else.

One of the most haunting – and controversial – parts of the real-story is the unimaginable choices the males had to make so as to survive, particularly when it got here to meals. Bayona has already drawn reward for his delicate dealing with of the concern, refusing to exploit it for drama however as an alternative exploring the complexity of the state of affairs and the other ways the males handled it. “We preferred to evoke emotions rather than show explicit images,” he says.

As effectively as portraying the most horrific conditions the males skilled, reflecting the actuality of these 72 days on the mountain additionally means displaying the moments of absurdity and laughter that helped them to get by it. Even in the darkest of instances, people search out levity and lightweight.

Society of the Snow has already gained prizes at the European Film Awards, and dominated nominations at Spain’s prestigious Goya Awards. It has been nominated for Best Non-English Language movie at the 2024 Golden Globe awards, and is Spain’s official submission for Best Foreign Language movie at the 2024 Oscars.

Perhaps the movie’s largest achievement although, might be the respect it pays to the lives of everybody who boarded Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 that day.

Watch Society of the Snow on Netflix now

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