New Delhi: Society of the Snow marks J.A. Bayona’s return to directing in Spain after his 2007 breakthrough feature, The Orphanage. Following its world debut at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, the picture had a limited theatrical run in the US, UK, and Spain. In 2023, Society of the Snow received four nominations for Academy Awards, including Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, and Best International Feature Film.
Premiering via over-the-top services on January 4, 2024, the film is based on the terrible 1972 Andes airline disaster.
Review: in the Netflix film “Society of the Snow,” which is Spain’s Best International Feature entry at the Oscars, director J.A. Bayona revisits the real-life horror story of a 1972 plane crash in the Andes https://t.co/ir10XrL8hW https://t.co/ir10XrL8hW
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 3, 2024
Following a plane crash in the remote heart of the Andes, survivors join forces and become each other’s best hope as they navigate their way back home.
Here’s everything you need to know about Society of the Snow:https://t.co/FLgzYHHpnl
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) January 1, 2024
True story drama Society Of The Snow premieres on Netflix January 4.✈️❄ pic.twitter.com/NPL9qndczL
— ABC (@farhanjamil1975) December 31, 2023
Plot
The novel by the same name by Vierci, which Society of the Snow is based on, recounts the real-life events of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. On October 13, 1972, the Montevideo rugby squad was supposed to fly from Uruguay to Santiago, Chile, for a match. Although they were approaching their destination, the plane went down in a crash with the snow-capped Andes mountains.
The aircraft crashed just before it was supposed to land for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to unexpectedly severe weather, an underpowered plane flown by an inexperienced captain, and bad luck.
The collision killed twelve individuals and wounded many more. Although 29 survivors managed to hold out for one more day, just 16 were recovered alive after 72 days of search and rescue.
When and Where to Watch?
The Netflix original film Society of the Snow adapts the title of Pablo Vierci’s book. December 15, 2023, was the launch date of Society of the Snow. It will premiere on Netflix for OTT viewing on January 4, 2024.
New poster for J.A. Bayona’s ‘SOCIETY OF THE SNOW’.
Releasing January 4 on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/UvTrgUQn73
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) December 27, 2023
Cast and Crew
Newcomers from Uruguay and Argentina comprise most of the cast. Agustín Della Corte, Tomas Wolf, Francisco Romero, Agustín Pardella, Esteban Kukuriczka, and Valentino Alonso are among the ensemble cast members in Society of the Snow.
Other Info
Based on the memoirs of all sixteen crash survivors—many of whom Vierci had known since childhood—the film Society of the Snow is an adaptation of the eponymous book by Pablo Vierci.
With its Out of Competition closing night screening, the picture brought the 80th Venice International Film Festival to an end. Several reviewers hailed it as Bayona’s finest work to date, and it was well-praised by critics.