Netflix’s Society of the Snow Is Based on a Harrowing True Story

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Truly frightening movies aren’t always classified as horror. Films based on real disasters are often intensely realistic, walking a fine line between showing the events plainly and telling a compelling story. Movies like The Impossible, 127 Hours, and Society of the Snow are both deeply moving and informative, highlighting the terrible experiences of real people while keeping viewers captivated and empathetic towards those affected.

The film Society of the Snow has struck a successful balance between critical acclaim and audience appeal. It’s become the second most-watched non-English film on the streaming service, surpassed only by Troll, racking up 103 million views within months of its January 2023 release. Critics have also praised the film, giving it a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. J.A. Bayona’s thriller even received two Oscar nominations, for Best Makeup and Best International Film.

Society of the Snow Is the Story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571

I recently watched Bayona’s 2023 film, and it’s a truly harrowing story. It’s based on the real events surrounding Uruguayan Flight 571, which carried a rugby team and 45 people total, all headed to a match in Chile back in 1972. Unfortunately, some pilot errors led to a crash high up in the Andes Mountains of Argentina – right into a glacier, over 12,000 feet up! It was a completely barren landscape, with no plants or animals anywhere because of the extreme altitude.

While twelve people died instantly in the crash, the remaining survivors initially lived through the impact, but were then left stranded in freezing temperatures with very little food, water, or protection. Things got even worse when an avalanche struck the crash site, demolishing almost all of their remaining shelter.

Despite extensive searches by airplane, the crash site remained hidden because of the heavy snow and bad weather. The people who survived were stuck for 72 days before two of them bravely hiked through the mountains for three days to get help.

The survivors had just a week’s worth of food and faced a harrowing two months as they lived amongst the frozen bodies of those they had lost. The experience was deeply traumatizing for everyone involved. Ultimately, only 16 out of the original 45 passengers made it, and were rescued when two of the survivors managed to leave and find help.

Society of the Snow Is More Intense and Gorier Than Most Horror Films

The film Society of the Snow is intensely gripping from beginning to end. Even beyond the shocking and difficult plane crash sequence, the story of the survivors’ slow struggle with starvation and descent into desperation is profoundly moving and often hard to watch.

The story didn’t shy away from showing the survivors’ pain, detailing everything from cracked, bleeding skin and hollowed eyes to the dark color of their urine caused by severe dehydration. Each death made the situation even more frightening for the audience.

It’s understandable why Society of the Snow is so difficult to watch – the depictions of injuries are disturbing, and the film gets truly frightening when the survivors resort to cannibalism. Knowing that this story is based on real events, and the lasting trauma the people endured, makes it even more unsettling.

David Martí and Montse Ribé, the award-winning makeup artists behind Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, created the realistic body parts and corpses for Society of the Snow. Despite their skillful work, the film didn’t win the Best Makeup Oscar, losing to Poor Things, and also lost the Oscar to The Zone of Interest.

While the story of Uruguayan Flight 571 has been told on screen before – notably in the 1993 film Alive directed by Frank Marshall – Society of the Snow offers a more intense and powerfully directed account of the tragic events. Though Alive is a well-regarded film, it lacks the raw brutality and masterful direction found in the newer movie.

Society of the Snow is currently available to stream on Netflix.

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2026-01-30 06:36