In the snow society It seems that everything is dyed black, from the urine to the eye contour of one of the survivors. Is about Nando Parrado, who spends part of the film in a coma due to a blow to the head during the plane crash. His companions even go so far as to leave him for dead, but he finally wakes up, with eyelids and black circles under the eyes.
In reality, dark circles under the eyes can be caused by tiredness, lack of sleep, poor circulation, or extreme sun exposure. All of them more than likely factors in the conditions that the boys of The Snow Society. However, this specific character is a very particular case.
His black circles under his eyes are due to the presence of a fracture at the base of the skull. This it could have cost him his lifebut possibly the ice on which his head was rested helped prevent inflammation and, thus, reduce the harmful consequences of the craniocerebral trauma.
The causes of black circles under the eyes
If we refer to dark circles under the eyes, they may be due to the reasons mentioned above. The skin around the eyes is very thin and less elastic than that of the rest of the face. Therefore, if the blood accumulates under it, the typical darkening of dark circles.
Poor circulation, for example, causes bagging in the blood that flows through the vessels in the area under the eyes. The same thing happens when we rest poorly, because at night the blood flows more slowly and it is easier for the same pockets to form. Poor hydration can cause the same effect. All this could happen to the protagonists of The Snow Society. But, in the case of Nando Parrado, what happens to him is something known as periorbital ecchymosis.
The particular case of The Snow Society
Nando doesn’t just have black circles under his eyes in the movie. The entire contour of his eyes is darkened, as if it were a raccoon or a panda bear. This, in reality, is nothing more than a hematoma which forms when blood from the fracture leaks into the tissue around the eyes.
We have already seen that this is a very thin tissue, so everything under it is visible, especially when it is a hematoma as intense as the one caused by these fractures.
In fact, raccoon eyes, as they are known colloquially, are a diagnostic criterion for this type of fractures. If it is bilateralin both eyes, it is calculated that, with 85% probabilitya fracture has occurred at the base of the skull, so a quick diagnosis of the problem can be made.
If a doctor had quickly seen this character of The Snow Society I would have known it right away. However, although there was one among the passengers, he did not have the tools to deal with a case like his. He would have no choice but to thank the snow for his survival. In fact, the real character on which the story is based is still alive today.