¨We had to do things that I don´t think any animal is
capable of doing.¨
In 1972 a group of Uruguayan rugby players were on
their way to Chile for an international match when the plane crashed in the
middle of the Andes. Several passengers survived the horrific crash, but the
worst was still to come because they were left stranded in the middle of a vast
white mountain chain with ho help in sight. After more than 70 days in the
mountains, sixteen passengers managed to survive. We´ve heard the story before;
they even made a film in 1993 starring Ethan Hawke inspired on these true
events. What is unique about this documentary is that for the first time in 30
years the 16 survivors got together to travel back to where the horrific events
took place and they share their story accompanied by some family members who
wouldn’t have been alive today if they hadn’t survived that terrible
experience. The survivors share their testimony beginning from the anticipation
many of them had before leaving Montevideo as it was for some their first
international flight, continuing to how horrible the crash was and the
experience of losing family members and friends, and finally sharing their
struggle for survival in this unknown territory. They hold no bars, they speak
about how they had to eat the dead bodies of their friends in order to survive,
and even convert that terrible experience of cannibalism into a spiritual
journey. Finally the documentary ends with the climactic expedition two
passengers decide to make in order to find help. This is a tale of survival
like you haven’t seen before and one worth experiencing.
The title is much longer than the original one, La
Sociedad de la Nieve (Society of the Snow), but in a way it does hook and
captivate your attention. The documentary is based on the Uruguayan bestselling
novel in which the 16 survivors share their unique experiences through that
terrible ordeal. The documentary may not have great technical visuals, but it
is worth watching for the testimonies alone. There is one scene where one of
the survivors is talking about how difficult it was for them to eat human
flesh, while he is eating some snacks during the interview in the same spot
where they had crashed 30 years ago. These men knew that they had no other way
to survive and feel no remorse for what they have done because they know it was
the right decision. They not only justified their actions, but some even
managed to make it a spiritual one by comparing it with Jesus´ last supper. The
interviews alone are what make this film worth watching because there are very
few original photos or reenactments. It is all about this group of friends and
how they managed to survive sticking together. The film doesn’t focus so much
on the deaths or the cannibalism; it doesn’t try to be sensationalistic, it is
more about the human spirit and the struggle for survival. I felt like it
touched a lot more on human emotions rather than on trying to make a circus of
the entire situation like the press did 30 years ago. The final 30 minutes are
completely gripping and fascinating. This is one of those rare documentaries
that will stick with you for a long time.
Stranded was directed by Gonzalo Arijon with a very
humanistic approach. This could have been such a tasteless film, but he really
gets to the heart of the matter and gives each one of the survivors time to
share their point of views and testimonies. This film won several awards and
was even nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the 2008 Sundance Film Festival,
but unfortunately it was competing against Man on Wire, the documentary that won
pretty much every prize that year including the Oscar. I might be biased, but I
really enjoyed this one much more. I was fascinated by the story despite
knowing all about it. I simply loved the way the entire project was approached
and how well the retelling of the story was done. This is a remarkable and
emotional documentary, one you won´t want to miss. The testimonies of what
happened during the avalanche and the near death experience was probably the
highlight of the film for me. It was truly shocking and gripping.
http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario