Spain’s official submission for the Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards, the Netflix original film Society of the Snow (original title: La sociedad de la nieve), tells the remarkable true story of the Uruguayan Rugby team whose chartered flight crashed in the Andes Mountains in 1972. Directed by J. A. Bayona, this is the second telling of the true story. Previously, director Frank Marshall’s 1993 film, “Alive,” also dramatized the event. Both films have honored this incredible story of human resilience and survival, but Bayona’s film makes a more accurate use of the event to tell a powerful survival tale. In this article, we discuss the plot summary in detail, along with what takes towards the ending of Society of the Snow. Please be aware the article is full of spoilers; the reader’s discretion is advised.
Society of the Snow (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Seen mostly through the point of view of our narrator, Numa Turcatti, the film begins in Montevideo, Uruguay, with a brief introduction of all the major characters. We are introduced to the old Christian club rugby team, which loses a match when one of the younger players, Roberto, goes solo with the rugby ball and loses to score. However, the sadness of the loss is short-lived because the team is extremely excited for the upcoming game, which is to be held in the neighboring country of Chile. Most of the players are short on money, with the volatile political climate serving as an initial backdrop. We are reintroduced to the narrator, Numa, who is reluctant to go but is swayed away by the team spirit. It is also established that these young men have a deep faith in God.
The team finally gets ready for their flight to Santiago, which includes a total of 40 passengers, including 19 of the rugby team and five crew members. It all starts well with everyone joyous about traveling to Chile and having an adventure of their own, but the weather suddenly changes, and the plane faces massive turbulence. One of the characters explains that in order to avoid the altitude of the Andes Mountain and the pull of the air pressure, the course of the flight diverts from the usual path. However, due to the turbulence, the pilots are unable to move the plane away from a collision, resulting in it crashing in the snow-clad Andes.
The sequence of the plane falling apart shows us the tail ripping apart, taking away around half a dozen people from it. The rest of them (some of them severely injured) barely manage to come out of the structure, expecting help to arrive soon. The first one to die from the crash is the pilot, who also tells the survivors that all the comms, which are their way to communicate with the rest of the world, are also cut off. Since there is no power in the machine, the pilot’s radio is of no use. The first night is terrible as the survivors have to face the extremely cold conditions by huddling up to the dead bodies of their fellow passengers. Since the temperature drops instantly after sunset, their only shelter and way to survive is being in the leftover wreckage of the plane. Still hopeful that some kind of help would arrive, the survivors ration whatever they can find for food and wait with bated breaths for authorities to find them.
Survival Struggles in the Harsh Andes Mountains
The next few days pass by with the planes that fly over them being unable to trace them. The crash site is untraceable also because of its odd location. The situation starts getting worse with the rations running out and the injured getting worse with each passing day. Eventually, in spite of their strong religious and moral beliefs, the survivors decide that the group has to eat the dead bodies lying around in order to keep themselves going. The survivors face an intense decision about their faith and the idea of consent surrounding them resorting to cannibalism. Numa and a few others refuse to eat the dead bodies because they think it is morally wrong and disrespectful to the dead. However, when it comes to survival, morality always goes out the window, and most of them eventually accept their fate and start eating human flesh. All of them also agree to give their dead bodies to the other survivors, giving them their consent before they are dead.
The arduous task of surviving in the harsh conditions also involves some of them trying to go up to the tail of the wreckage, making a makeshift radio, and doing other similar things like reciting poetry to each other. When one of the radio announcements says that the rescue operation has been halted, the last shred of hope left in all of them almost dies. Harsher weather conditions, including a very strong snowstorm that buries them in the ground, are also not enough to break their spirits, though.
Eventually, four of them – Roberto, Nando, Tintin, and Numa decide to hike over to a longer distance, trying to reach Chile. However, only a few miles into the journey, Numa (our narrator) has to come back to the base because of a severe infection on his foot. The other three go on to find the broken tail of the airplane – which, to their surprise, had flown ahead of them instead of behind. The next few weeks include the group trying to use the battery in the plane to communicate with civilization but to no avail.
Society of the Snow (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
How did the passengers of Flight 571 survive?
In a surprising twist, in the survival genre, Society of the Snow shows us the heartbreaking death of the narrator, Numa. His death gives the others a boost to try one last time to save themselves. So, Roberto and Nando – two of the fittest players in the rugby team, decide to give it their all and complete an intense hike over the mountain ranges that the plane was surrounded by. Over ten long days that include limited rations and extreme conditions, the two are able to reach the outskirts of Chile. There, a passerby on horseback discovers them, and they are finally able to send a word home. A Chilean rescue team is sent, which is able to finally reach the leftover 14 survivors who had been waiting near the wreckage for 72 days.
The ending of Society of the Snow finds the 16 survivors reaching their homeland. After being isolated from civilization for many days, being thrust into the world after forming a kind of community within the snow-clad mountain was extremely overwhelming for them. The entire hospital sequence doubles down on the theme of survival and moral complexity that was faced by the survivors in literally becoming cannibals. The movie avoids straightforward explanations of these characters and their decisions and lets the audience decide if their choices were right in the grand notion of survival in life.
Is ‘Society of the Snow’ based on a true story?: Facts Vs Fiction Explained
“Society of the Snow” is based on the true story of the 1972 Andes flight disaster involving Uruguayan rugby players, as detailed in Pablo Vierci’s book of the same name. The film draws inspiration from the harrowing events surrounding the crash of Flight 571 and the subsequent struggle for survival in the Andes Mountains.
The ill-fated journey began with a series of errors. The aircraft, a Fairchild FH-227D, was ill-equipped for the challenging conditions it faced, flying over the highest mountains in South America with underpowered engines. Weather complications forced an unscheduled landing in Mendoza, Argentina, which, due to legal constraints, led to the decision to continue the journey despite heavy winds.
The pilot’s mistaken belief that he had reached Curicó, Chile, resulted in a crash into the Andes, killing twelve and leaving the survivors with life-threatening injuries. Stranded in the mountains, the survivors transformed the fuselage into a shelter using available materials. Initially sustaining themselves with onboard snacks, they eventually faced a stark choice when supplies ran out: cannibalism.
The survivors, driven by desperation, made the agonizing decision to resort to cannibalism after realizing that rescue efforts had been canceled. The subsequent challenges included being buried in an avalanche on day 17, resulting in eight immediate deaths. The remaining survivors, trapped in the fuselage beneath the snow, had to endure further days of cannibalism to survive.
The turning point came when, on day 61, three rugby players, including Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, decided to embark on a perilous journey for help. Misled by the pilot’s inaccurate orientation, they faced treacherous conditions and the harsh reality of survival. After encountering Sergio Catalan on day 72, who eventually sought help from the Chilean Army, a rescue mission was initiated.
Parrado and Canessa, after a grueling 10-day hike, were the first to be saved, with the remaining survivors rescued in subsequent trips. The passengers endured 72 days of extreme conditions, suffering from altitude sickness, dehydration, frostbite, broken bones, malnutrition, and scurvy.
How is ‘Society of the Snow’ different from the real-life event?
The remarkable tale of survival in “Society of the Snow” depicts the strength of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity. The film captures the resilience, sacrifice, and determination of those who endured the Andes disaster, showcasing the depths people can go to survive against all odds.
The film predominantly adheres to factual information, maintaining accuracy throughout. However, in certain instances, the director has artfully employed creative liberties to elevate the entertainment value.
All of it – including the cannabilism and the 10-day long hike without proper gear and food is true. As hard as it is to digest, the real-life story of Flight 571 is accurately portrayed in Society of the Snow.
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