J.A Bayona‘s highly-anticipated Netflix Original Society Of Snow has finally arrived
I’m sure you are all aware of the story and ’90s film Alive. It starred Ethan Hawke about the rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains. Those who survived had to endure the harshest and cruellest of conditions, all with no food. Out of complete desperation, the survivors had to eat the dead. Society of The Snow is the exact same story as the 90s film, Alive. Only this one is told with more honesty, respect and no BS Hollywood dramatisation.
I was excited to see J. A Bayona is the director’s chair for The Society of the Snow. He’s already proven himself to be a masterful director in the disaster sub-genre with the Ewan McGregor movie, The Impossible).
We get to spend a bit of time with the passengers before the crash learning a little bit about their characters, or what sort of character they are.
As I expected, the plane crash scene was so well done. The sound design in particular was flawless, using the failing plane engines as cinematic risers just before impact – then, nothing a moment of uneasy silence and then just SMASH! chaos rips through the plane. The plane crashes through the snowy mountains throwing passengers, crushing passengers and impaling passengers. This was extremely well put together and the sound design really puts you in that plane with them. Also, the sound design when they first have to eat the dead. We had the person who had to eat it, almost throwing up at even the thought of eating it. Then the sound of chewing flesh. At that moment, it was probably the most deafening sound to them.
The Society of Snow is a horrific watch. What these people went through was unimaginable. As well as the desperation and horrible conditions they had to endure, this is also a film about the strength of the human spirit.
Far from a Hollywood production, it brilliantly showed each person’s fight. There were no weaklings or cowards, no dramatisation, everyone give it their all and everyone fought their damn hardest. The ending really tied it all together. With Alive, I’m almost certain the movie ended as they got in the rescue chopper. In The Society Of The Snow, we stay with the survivors. They’re introduced back into society with almost instant fame and everyone wants to tell their story. We get to see their broken, bruised and dangerously underweight bodies as they take showers for the first time in what probably felt like forever. It was a very emotional ending and it has me tearing up. The story could not have been told better.
You can now stream The Society Of the Snow on Netflix. A always, thanks for reading.
