''Society of the Snow'' ( es, La sociedad de la nieve) is a 2023

survival Survival, or the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things (or, hypotheti ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by J. A. Bayona about the Uruguayan 1972 Andes flight disaster. It is an adaptation of Pablo Vierci's book of the same name, which documents accounts of all 16 survivors of the crash, many of whom Vierci knew from childhood. The cast is composed of Uruguayan and Argentine actors, most of whom are newcomers. The film closed the

80th Venice International Film Festival 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

, in an Out of Competition slot. It is scheduled to be released theatrically in Spain on 15 December 2023, before streaming on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

on 4 January 2024. It was selected as the Spanish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the

96th Academy Awards {{Infobox film awards , number = 96 , award = Academy Awards , image = , caption = , alt = , date = March 10, 2024 , site = Dolby TheatreHollywood, Los Angele ...

Cast

The cast is as follows:

Production

Bayona discovered Vierci's book while researching for his 2012 film '' The Impossible'', and bought the rights for the book at the end of shooting ''The Impossible''. The filmmakers recorded more than 100 hours of interviews with all of the living survivors. The actors had contact with the survivors and the families of the victims. ''Society of the Snow'' was announced in November 2021. Filming took place in

Sierra Nevada, Spain Sierra Nevada (; meaning "mountain range covered in snow") is a mountain range in the Andalusian province of Granada in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain:The highest peak in Spanish territory is Teide on the island of Tene ...

; Montevideo, Uruguay; and Chile and Argentina in the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, including the actual crash site. The production had 138 shooting days. Its budget was reported to be more than €65 million. In August 2021, a second unit, headed by , Argentine director of '' Murder Me, Monster'', filmed landscapes in Chile for reference in on-set virtual production and post-production.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

took place in Sierra Nevada from 10 January to 29 April 2022. In Sierra Nevada, the production was challenged by a scarcity of snow and the

Saharan Air Layer The Saharan Air Layer (SAL) is an extremely hot, dry and sometimes dust-laden layer of the atmosphere that often overlies the cooler, more-humid surface air of the Atlantic Ocean. It carries upwards of 60 million tonnes of dust annually over t ...

, which covered the mountains in orange. Three replicas of fuselage wreckages were used: one was placed in a hangar built in a parking lot, another buried in artificial snow and supported by a hydraulic crane that allowed moving the fuselage, and the other above a tarn at high. In the hangar, a 30-metre-tall screen displayed the second unit's footage of the Andes. A third unit was tasked with more dangerous mountain shots. The three units consisted of around 300 workers. Filming in Uruguay concluded in late July 2022, and the production continued in Madrid.

David Martí David Martí (born 1971 in Barcelona, Spain) is an actor and makeup specialist. He won the Academy Award for Makeup for his work in ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006: original Spanish title ''El laberinto del fauno''), which he shared with his fellow make ...

and

Montse Ribé Montse Ribé (born 1972) is a Spanish make-up artist and actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Makeup for her work in ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006). She was one of 115 people invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ...

, Academy Award–winning special effects makeup artists of ''

Pan's Labyrinth ''Pan's Labyrinth'' ( es, El laberinto del fauno, lit=The Labyrinth of the Faun, links=no) is a 2006 dark fantasy horror film written, directed and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. A Spanish-Mexican(78% Spanish production, 22% Mexican productio ...

'', created prosthetic corpses and wounds. Post-production was planned to last about five months involving 300 personnel. Vierci, who serves as an associate producer, visited the set in Sierra Nevada. Bayona showed an early version of the film to one of the survivors, José Luis "Coche" Inciarte, before he died in July 2023. The 14 remaining survivors saw the film one or two months prior to the premiere.

Release

The film was set as the

's closing film, with a world premiere out-of-competition screening at the Palazzo del Cinema slated for 9 September 2023, following the festival's awards ceremony. It was selected to screen in the Perlak section at the 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2023. It also screened in the Out of Competition section at the 56th Sitges Film Festival, and at the 2023

AFI Fest The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

. The film was programmed for a technical screening run from 20 to 26 October 2023 in the Cine Aragonia of Zaragoza. A Spanish theatrical release for 15 December 2023 was also announced.

Reception

Guy Lodge of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' deemed the film to be a "brawnily effective tear-jerker", "which grips with alternating waves of dread, horror and heart-swelling relief, even as it can hardly surprise". Wendy Ide of ''

ScreenDaily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

'' wrote that the film "is elevated by bracingly muscular action sequences". Pete Hammond of ''

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a British ...

'' wrote that Bayona made a "story of how humanity comes together for each other in the worst of circumstances, how faith can see us through, and the sheer will to live involved in just simply pulling off a miracle by never giving up". David Rooney of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'' wrote that Bayona reclaims "the real-life tragedy and story of human resilience" "with authenticity and chilling realism, with emotion but without sensationalism", underscoring the film to be "uneven but ultimately effective".

Accolades

References

External links

* {{Spanish submissions for the Academy Award 2023 drama films 2020s Chilean films 2020s disaster films 2020s Spanish films 2020s Spanish-language films 2020s survival films 2020s Uruguayan films Chilean drama films Chilean thriller films Cultural depictions of rugby footballers Cultural depictions of Uruguayan men Disaster films based on actual events Drama films based on actual events Films about aviation accidents or incidents Films about cannibalism Films about death Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by J. A. Bayona Films scored by Michael Giacchino Films set in 1972 Films set in Chile Films shot in Argentina Films shot in Chile Films shot in Montevideo Films shot in the province of Granada Rugby union films Spanish disaster films Spanish drama films Spanish films based on actual events Spanish survival films Spanish thriller films Spanish-language Netflix original films Thriller films based on actual events Upcoming Netflix original films Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 Uruguayan drama films Uruguayan thriller films