Society Of The Snow (2023) Dir: J. A. Bayona
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J. A. Bayona's depiction of the infamous incident involving Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, in October 1972, has been receiving a lot of acclaim since it came out on Netflix. I had recently learnt a little about the ordeal faced by those aboard that flight from a history podcast, which meant I had some idea of what to expect - even so, I was keen on judging the cinematic version.
The film might've been both visually and thematically very bleak, but those visuals were still pretty impressive, in my view. I felt immersed in the story - like I, too, was marooned in the middle of a seemingly endless snowy hellscape. The film didn't utilise too many establishing shots, but when it did, they looked breathtaking.
The narrative was emotionally brutal - and the fact that it was based on true events just makes everything that takes place even more harrowing. The ensemble cast were terrific, and really helped elevate the believability and the seriousness of the events unfolding. My only real nitpick would be with the length of the film - I think it was very slightly too long.
In regards to the cast, there were several very good performances, particularly from Enzo Vogrincic, Augustín Pardella, Matias Recalt and Diego Vegezzi. I thought they evoked a lot of emotion, and their chemistry with one another was very impressive.
Mind you, there were good performances across the board, including some of the less substantial roles, mainly from the likes of Esteban Bigliardi, Fernando Contigiani, Esteban Kukuriczka, Francisco Romero, Rafael Federman and Valentino Alonso.
Overall, this was a very good, though slightly too long, historical thriller, which has understandably received a lot of praise globally. It's not the kind of film you'd watch over and over again, but for a one time watch, it's a very effective piece of cinema, in my view. It's definitely one of the more must-see Netflix original films.
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