WARNING: The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Society of the Snow.
Society of the Snow is a captivating film that tells the incredible true story of a rugby team’s struggle for survival following a plane crash in the Andes Mountains.
The movie pays tribute to the real-life passengers by featuring an all-South American cast, and has received high praise from their families for its accuracy in depicting the events.
The film follows the heroic journey of Nando and Roberto, who braved the treacherous terrain to reach Chile and ultimately secure the rescue and medical care of the survivors.
Their remarkable endurance and the immense relief felt by the survivors are powerfully portrayed, making for a truly unforgettable cinematic experience.
The new disaster film, Society of the Snow, is a retelling of the remarkable true story of a Uruguayan rugby team whose flight crashed in the Andes Mountains in 1972. While the story has been previously dramatized in the 1993 movie Alive, directed by Frank Marshall and starring Ethan Hawke as the real-life Nando Parrado, J. A. Bayona’s Society of the Snow offers a fresh perspective on the events. Both films depict the astonishing true story of endurance, survival, and the desperation to stay alive by any means necessary.
Society of the Snow has been selected as Spain’s official submission for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards and has also been nominated for a Golden Globe in a similar category. The film features a cast made entirely of South American actors, particularly of Argentine and Uruguayan descent. It is being hailed by families of the real-life passengers, both living and deceased, as the most honorable and accurate cinematic depiction of the events. The survivors, who were eventually rescued after 72 days in blistering cold and dangerous conditions, were forced to resort to cannibalism, feeding on the bodies of the deceased.
What Happens In Society Of The Snow’s Ending
The characters in Society of the Snow endure physical, psychological, and spiritual challenges as they fight for survival in the harsh conditions of the Andes Mountains. The group is forced to resort to cannibalism to stay alive, which causes moral and religious conflicts for some of the passengers.
Towards the end of the movie, several passengers die from freezing or avalanches, including Numa Turcatti, who had been the most reluctant to partake in cannibalism. However, his death inspires the group to keep fighting for survival.
Roberto Canessa and Nando Parrado, two of the group’s leaders, embark on an intense hike to find help and eventually reach civilization. Their discovery leads to a Chilean rescue team being dispatched, and the other 14 survivors are saved, hospitalized, and become the focus of international media attention.
Nando and Roberto Successfully Hiked To Chile
Nando and Roberto’s journey was not only physically challenging, but mentally and emotionally exhausting as well. They had to navigate through harsh weather conditions, steep slopes, and treacherous terrain, all while dealing with hunger, thirst, and exhaustion. Despite these obstacles, they never gave up and continued to push forward, driven by their desire to save their fellow survivors.
Their journey was not without its dangers, as they had to cross a glacier that was prone to avalanches. In fact, they narrowly escaped one such avalanche that could have easily claimed their lives. But they persevered, and their efforts paid off when they finally reached civilization and were able to alert authorities to the location of the stranded survivors.
Nando and Roberto’s bravery and selflessness in the face of such adversity is truly inspiring. Their story serves as a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope, and that the human spirit is capable of incredible feats of strength and resilience.
Numa Turcatti Was The Last Person To Die On The Mountain
Numa Turcatti was an integral member of the group before his untimely death. He was the last to perish on the mountain, but not before his quick thinking and resourcefulness saved the group. When an avalanche trapped them inside the plane wreckage, Numa kicked a glass window and used a long pole to probe through the snow, ultimately leading to their rescue. Unfortunately, Numa’s leg was severely injured during the ordeal, leaving him immobile and vulnerable to sickness and freezing. Despite his passing, Numa’s legacy lives on as he narrates Society of the Snow through voiceover.
Why Gustavo Wouldn’t Leave Without The Suitcase
During the rescue, Gustavo, one of the 14 survivors, refused to leave without a suitcase. Despite the unimaginably grueling experience he was about to be saved from, he sat on the ground in protest. Gustavo’s suitcase contained all of the keepsakes and final letters of the deceased, and he would not board the helicopter without them. This act exemplifies the survivors’ overarching sense of respect for the dead, which becomes a major theme of the ethical considerations surrounding cannibalism in Society of the Snow.
The 16 Survivors Were Rescued & Hospitalized
The sixteen survivors, who had lost all hope of rescue, were abruptly thrust back into civilization in a bewildering and disorienting manner. After enduring the most isolating experience of their lives, they found themselves at the center of the world’s attention, scrutinized by numerous medical professionals and journalists eager to uncover their story. Society of the Snow acknowledges this dramatic shift in tone while also emphasizing the immense happiness and relief that the sixteen survivors experienced.
The Real Meaning Of Society Of The Snow’s Ending
The Society of the Snow presents a nuanced perspective on a complicated subject matter, where the will to survive outweighs the moral dilemma of cannibalism. The film delves deep into the systematic approach that the survivors had to adopt for their feeding process, while also exploring the search for a greater meaning between those who survived and those who perished. The film’s ending leaves the unanswerable question of morality, ethics, and spiritual significance to the audience to formulate their own opinions.
The film is commendable for avoiding any judgment or sensationalization of the true events and instead focuses on the actual actions, thoughts, and emotions of the people who lived through it. The film also boldly refrains from filling in the gaps left by Numa’s unrealized faith in a higher power, which several characters thoughtfully express doesn’t necessarily apply to their situation. The ending of the Society of the Snow celebrates the survivors’ incredible endurance and the lives they still have to spend with their loved ones, rather than getting lost in the ethical gray areas or searching for some type of purpose in the darkness of immense tragedy.