Before its limited theatrical release, awards season followers noticed the title Society of the Snow popping up all over online feeds. Those who did not know of the events depicted here became intrigued; those who did know became mortified. Though disaster movies can be hit or miss, critics and audiences alike confirm that Society of the Snow is one of the best and most harrowing of the genre in a while.
‘Society of the Snow’ Synopsis and Inspiration
Upon crash-landing in the glacial Andes Mountain range in Argentina, the survivors of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 have to figure out how to live in a desolate, insurmountably cold environment. Society of the Snow comes from Spanish director/co-writer J. A. Bayona from a terrifying true story as told by journalist Pablo Vierci’s intimate account in his book of the same name.
Bayona Does the Terrifying Story Justice
Apart from his sour big studio breakout directing the Jurassic World sequel, Bayona has often demonstrated an ability to imbue emotionally rich subtext into his images. Perhaps having heard the criticism of his previous disaster film The Impossible as a hair too much of a star vehicle for Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, Bayona goes all-in on immersive reality, populating the film with primarily unrecognizable new faces, all matching their Uruguayan characters’ origins. With that realism comes having to look at the sheer brutality that the survivors faced after the plane crash.
No Shying from Horror in ‘Society of the Snow’
The impossible situation of the crash survivors, further aided by Bayona’s research, is just about as genuine in emotion and storytelling as anyone could get, trumping all other adaptations of the unbelievable event. In entertainment value, Society of the Snow furthermore excels, using plenty of special effects and animation to illustrate the crash and the resulting difficulties of the survivors. Slightly more intrusive than in The Impossible, the effects will force you to look at what happened here head-on.
Still from ‘Society of the Snow’
To Both Its Aid and Detriment, ‘Society of the Snow’ Wallows The Viewer in Tragedy
Instead of gripping the viewer and rushing to the finish line, Society of the Snow takes its time with a two-and-a-half-hour runtime, allowing the viewer to sit with the characters’ suffering for a perhaps overly extended time. The first hour is already a grueling stretch, and the occasional lack of briskness will lose the film a couple of viewers compared to The Impossible. Nevertheless, this journey into the profound struggle of morality, faith, and survival will leave no viewer untouched by its power, making Society of the Snow an easy late-2023/early-2024 favorite.
Society of the Snow is streaming now on Netflix.