The movie The Snow Society by Juan Antonio Bayona, became a resounding success. Not only is it one of the most viewed films in the history of Netflix, but it also achieved two nominations for the 2024 Oscar. Which makes it a milestone in Spanish cinema. But beyond its undoubted technical achievements, the film is an inspired story about a physical and spiritual feat. Everything, from the point of view of the survivors of the crash of Flight 571 of the Uruguayan Air Force in 1972.
Due to such a triumph, Netflix has included the documentary in its catalog The snow society: Who were we in the mountains?, by Manuel Romo. The 36-minute production describes the creative process of the film, as well as the relationship of the talent behind the camera with the survivors. The result is an emotional document full of information of interest to the public interested in what Bayona’s film tells. But much more, uA journey through months of production that managed to delve in detail into one of the hardest aeronautical tragedies in history.
The documentary ranges from interviews to a review of all the artistic decisions that Bayona and the rest of the technical team made for the benefit of the narrative. Which includes how to adapt Pablo Vierci’s narrative, based essentially on his point of view and that of the people who surrounded the survivors. The book The Snow Societytells what is related to the so-called tragedy of the Andes, from an intimate perspective, which was a challenge for the cinematographic talent behind the credits.
Tell a familiar story
One of the points that has attracted the most attention about The Snow Society is its profound dimension and with data, essentially unpublished, of a known historical fact. The Snow Society: Who were we in the mountains? answers the question, showing how the director made the decision to narrate what happened from an emotional point of view. Which includes getting involved with the testimonies in a personal way. The production shows the way each actor took their physical process of losing weight and taking on the appearance of their characters, in the way of understanding what they experienced.
In addition, the story includes the real survivors, who provide all kinds of information of interest in their participation in the film. The group was closely involved in the film and gave their approval to the toughest scenes. Especially, Nando Parrado, who closely supervised everything related to the way the long days of isolation and fear were narrated.
The Snow Society: Who We Were in the Mountains? is not only the complete experience of the film. It is also a review of an incident that forever changed the perception of survival in Latin America. Something that the documentary’s argument presents with respectful care and stands out in several of its most moving moments.
A tragedy that shocked the world
As will be remembered, the crash of Uruguayan Force flight 571 left 45 survivors isolated in the middle of the Andes mountain range. The original group survived for two weeks and was then decimated by an avalanche. After 72 days in the worst conditions in which they even resorted to cannibalism with the corpses of the deceased, only 16 managed to preserve their lives.
The film The Snow Society pays tribute to both the deceased and the survivors. A detail that made the film a considerable success that has had resonance even at the Academy Awards.