Title – Society of the Snow (2023)

Director – J.A. Bayona (The Impossible) 

Cast – Enzo Vogrincic, Agustín Pardella, Matías Recalt

Plot – Based on the true story of the 1972 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 plane crash that saw a group of survivors stuck in the heart of the harsh Andes landscape and faced with terrifying options to try and stay alive. 

“There is no greater love than that which gives one’s life for one’s friends”

Review by Eddie on 24/01/2024

Adapted from Pablo Vierci’s book that details the extraordinary tale of the survivors of the famed 1972 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 plane crash, Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona takes a break from Hollywood productions such as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and A Monster Calls to return home to deliver an above average Netflix original that many will regard as the quintessential exploration of the 1972 Andes set true life survival tale. 

Last told via the feature film medium over 30 years ago with Frank Marshall’s Hollywood affair Alive in 1993, Society of the Snow details the tale of the survivors of Flight 571 is one many would be familiar with either in passing or in more detail but that doesn’t mean Bayona’s film is any less intense and insightful as the talented filmmaker throws us into the survivors plight that kicks off not too long into the films close to two and half hour runtime with one of the most visceral and bone shattering plane crash sequences delivered on screen with that moment setting in motion a standout production let down only by its inability to truly connect us with the “who” of the survivors. 

Stunningly captured by cinematographer Pedro Luque, featuring some of the best score work in years from composer Michael Giacchino and brilliantly bought to life by Bayona’s talented sound/editing department, Society is high class Netflix fare and you can tell there was labours of love instilled into this film from its cast and crew and when you’re able to sit down and reflect/research on the real events that transpired to allow the survivors to beat the odds, you begin to understand that Society is a film that does justice to its real life incident and those that were a part of it but the lack of ever getting to know who these survivors really are, their friendships or what makes them tick works against the film becoming a genuine survival classic. 

With Enzo Vogrincic acting as the films focal point as the determined Numa Turcatti, the presence who guides us for most of the screen time both in front of camera and through voice over work, Society attempts to bring home the human element of the crash survival group but while we can all be wowed by their impressive feats of human perseverance, humanity in the face of adversity and friendships Bayona and his loaded ensemble never come to life in the way that would’ve ensured this was an emotional charged offering that lingered in both hearts and memory long after the credits have rolled. 

Far from an easy film to watch and rightfully so when one considers the hard to fathom necessities of what took place to even consider a life outside of the harsh Andes once more, Society isn’t easy to digest film entertainment and is one that feels its length at times but it’s one of Bayona’s strongest films in years and one that is likely to be appreciated by audiences from around the globe who are gifted one of the most well produced survival films of the modern era. 

Final Say – 

Unable to find its beating heart amongst all the unforgiving snow, blustery winds and frozen meat, Society of the Snow is a stunning technical achievement that does justice to its real life tale but not so much to its real life survivors who remain mostly at arms length throughout this Netflix epic. 

3 1/2 DIY sleeping bags out of 5