10 minutes of applause. That’s how the Venice Film Festival, one of the most important events of the year and a common launching pad for the Oscars, closed after its closing film ended. The film in question was “Society of the Snow,” and the director receiving the applause, with tears in his eyes, was the Spanish filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona.
Bayona is the director of our country’s most popular in current Hollywood. After directing films like The Impossible, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, or A Monster Calls, and having produced series like Penny Dreadful and The Rings of Power, the director has just premiered his latest big movie in Venice: Society of the Snow.
What is “Society of the Snow” about?
“The Snow Society” is a film whose plot is based on the eponymous novel by Pablo Vierci from 2008. However, the plot of the novel is not fictional at all but is based on a real story that is described as “the most incredible story ever told.” Notably, this story has also been the subject of films such as “It’s Alive” (1974) and “Survive!” (1976).
But the film is not only based on the book but also on interviews with those involved in this remarkable story. In fact, the screenplay was crafted by four individuals: J.A. Bayona, Bernat Vilaplana, Jaime Marqués, and Nicolás Casariego. Furthermore, it was filmed in Spanish with a cast of real Uruguayan and Argentine actors. The synopsis, as you may already know, is chilling:
“In 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, chartered to carry a rugby team to Chile, crashes on a glacier in the heart of the Andes. Only 29 of its 45 passengers survive the crash. Trapped in one of the most inaccessible and hostile environments on the planet, they are forced to resort to extreme measures to stay alive…
The 16 survivors who ultimately remained from this flight shared their specific experiences for the book, and Bayona has now adapted it into a movie format. It is so impressive, as they say, that even the survivors have stated, “No matter what has been done before, this is really what happened,” thus praising the director’s work.
Cast of Society of the Snow
As mentioned earlier, for “Society of the Snow,” J.A. Bayona wanted to cast young actors from Uruguay and Argentina, many of whom were unknown, with the aim of making the story as realistic as possible. To achieve this, he assembled the following cast:
Enzo Vogincic, Matías Recalt, Agustín Pardella, Tomas Wolf, Esteban Kukuriczka, Francisco Romero, Rafael Federman, Felipe González Otaño, Agustín Della Corte, Valentino Alonso, Simón Hempe, Fernando Contigiani, Benjamín Segura, Luciano Chatton, Agustín Berruti, Juan Caruso, Rocco Posca, Andy Pruss, and Esteban Bigliardi.
All of them portray the various people who survived or tragically lost their lives in a remote mountain in 1972. Therefore, it is a very important and unique acting endeavor in their lives.
Trailer and images of Society of the Snow
Netflix has already released an official teaser of just over a minute in which we can see some stunning images from the highly anticipated film. Undoubtedly, everything suggests that this is an impressive movie, especially considering that many have described it as “Bayona’s best film.”
Beyond the trailer, we have been able to see some still images from the movie as well as behind-the-scenes footage, showing the extreme conditions that the team also faced during filming. Additionally, we have the official movie poster.
Release date of Society of the Snow
There is still no closed date for the premiere of Society of the Snow on Netflix, but considering that it is already touring festivals and has been shortlisted by Spain to go to the Oscars for Best International Film, it is scheduled to be released before the end of this year 2023. We will keep you updated.
