Society of the Snow

Society of the Snow is a marvel of a film by JA Bayona, who has returned to his roots to direct a Spanish film. The film depicts the tragedy of the infamous Andes plane crash and treats the victims and survivors of this accident with the grace and glory they deserve. The movie brings so many emotions to the forefront from the cast, putting you in their shoes through every inch of this brutal, devastating event. As a result, we are privy to the many horrors, the frequent grief, and the eventual relief these people face, culminating in a harrowing but deeply rewarding experience.

This strong connection forged between the audience and the characters would not be possible without fantastic performances. The acting is superb from beginning to end: regardless of screen-time and presence, each person knows their role and plays their part beautifully to create a truly epic ensemble film. For a movie as dark and traumatic as this is, the ensemble is essential to balance the lighter moments with the darker ones. The skillful use of close-ups, up-close sound effects, and grimy makeup similarly grant us a window into understanding exactly what these people are feeling just from their face and body rather than forcing endless exposition of their feelings. 

However, the film is far from perfect. For one, during much of the first half I had a rather rough time identifying who people were and if they were supposed to be important to the story. The film is rather dark in color, making it especially hard to tell each person apart. It wasn't until the second half that I was able to tell who was who. My other major issue with the film is how little it had to say. It is entirely a "straight to the point" true story film, which is fine! It does what it is attempting to do wonderfully! But I feel as though this film had the potential to do more with its story and its messaging, only to settle for simply retelling a tragedy.

Despite those issues, Society of the Snow is a visual feast from its cinematography, editing, effects, and especially the makeup that made this crew look disgustingly grimy. Its epically sprawling script carries us through 72 days with this group of people without skipping a beat or leaving us bored with the monotony of what being trapped like that must have been like. I had to hold back tears at the end because the ending landed with such force (despite already knowing how it ends) thanks to the epic narration from our main character Numa Turcatti (Enzo Vogrincic Roldán) and his heart-wrenching ultimate fate. After experiencing the loss and anxiety that these people felt during this tragedy for over 2 hours, the amount of catharsis we feel at the ending caps off what might be Bayona’s best film to date. 

8/10