Based on the true story of the 1972 Andes plane crash, Society of the Snow is one of the best movies that I have seen in January 2024. This is a Netflix original and it is a movie that I will admit, at first, I was not sure I was going to bother watching! I am so glad that I did as I was hooked and when the credits rolled, I did not even realize that the movie had lasted the better part of 2 and a half hours!
How to Download Society of the Snow
Netflix released this film on 4 January 2024 and you can download or stream the film from this digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review.
The Movie Review: A Harrowing True Story of Endurance
I remember watching the 1993 movie, Alive when I was a teenager and being just mesmerized by the fact that this was a true story and that people actually went through this! Granted, at the time I watched it back in the day, I did not question why the Uruguayan rugby team consisted of mainly white American people, but I still think that movie is a bone-chilling tale and quite an uplifting story too.
The plot of the movie is about a plane that crash lands in the Andes Mountains. I am sure most people are at least somewhat familiar with this story and the grisly details of what the survivors had to resort to in order to survive. One thing that I give director J. A. Bayona a ton of credit for is his restraint in showing the more gruesome aspects of this movie.
Do not get me wrong, there are many scenes that are tough to watch and will have you feeling uncomfortable. However, the way this version of the story is told is with the human spirit firmly at the forefront. That makes this a movie that is quite uplifting and when our brave explorers make it to survival, you legit want to fist pump as you are so happy for them.
Authentic Acting and Stunning Visuals
While I think that Alive was a very well-acted movie, Society of the Snow feels more authentic. The movie is all in Spanish which gives it a much more “real” vibe to it. I was surprised to see that most of the cast were relatively unknown and this was for many of them, their big break! All of the cast bring a lot of heart, passion, and pain to this movie.
As well as being very well acted, the movie looks incredible too. They do such a wonderful job of showing just how barren and deadly the Andes mountains are! It gives you a very uncomfortable feeling while watching it and my wife said it made her feel cold…. Granted, she can be cold on a warm sunny day, but I got what she was saying.
Comparing Society of the Snow and Alive
I know that making a direct comparison between Society of the Snow and Alive is what many people will do, but I have a hard time doing that! Even though I am sure I have only seen Alive once in my life, it had such a lasting impression on me. Society of the Snow is telling the same story, but I feel it is going about it in a different way and both this and Alive stand on their own.
something brutal, hard-hitting, but also uplifting to watch, I highly recommend that you watch Society of the Snow. I have not read anything about this getting a physical release, but if it does, I will 100 percent add it to my collection.
