La sociedad de la nieve (2023)

	Directed by: J. A. Bayona	AKA Society of the Snow COUNTRY Spain/USA GENRE Survival/Thriller/ Drama NORWEGIAN TITLE Snøsamfunnet RUNNING TIME 144 minutes
	Produced by: Belén Atienza Sandra Hermida J. A. Bayona
	Written by (based on the book by Pabli Vierci): J. A. Bayona Bernat Vilaplana Jaime Marques Nicolás Casariego

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Numa Turcatti	Enzo Vogrincic	½
Roberto Canessa	Matías Recalt	½
Nando Parrado	Agustín Pardella
Gustavo Zerbino	Tomas Wolf	-
Marcelo Pérez del Castillo	Diego Vegezzi	-
Adolfo "Fito" Strauch	Esteban Kukuriczka	-
Daniel Fernández Strauch	Francisco Romero	-
Eduardo Strauch	Rafael Federman	-
Carlitos Páez	Felipe González Otaño	-
Antonio "Tintín" Vizintín	Agustín Della Corte	-
Alfredo "Pancho" Delgado	Valentino Alonso	-

Review

J. A. Bayona, the experienced Spanish director behind successes such as the gothic horror El Orfanato and the real-life disaster film Lo imposible, has made several clever choices for La sociedad de la nieve – the third adaptation of the now famous 'Miracle of the Andes' which occurred in 1972. One of these choices is rather obvious: Unlike the previous adaptation about the incident, 1993's Alive, Bayona has cast mainly South American actors and shot the movie partly on location in the Andes, which gives the film the necessary cultural and characterological foundation. Another is his choice of protagonists. Our reliable narrator is Numa Turcatti (Enzo Vogrincic), whose role in the story is somewhat enigmatic from the outset. And as the narrative progresses, it becomes clear that there is no one leader and no clear hierarchical structure in these young men's quest for survival. Instead they bring their various strengths and weaknesses to the table, meaning that different people stand out – and need comforting – at different times. Still, the main reason why La sociedad de la nieve surely but slowly becomes such a gripping watch and one of the best films of the year, is that Bayona lets the powerful human drama take centre stage, letting it unfold naturally and truthfully, while concentrating on providing solid craftsmanship around it. This picture is not held back by trends, posturings or politics; it's all about accomplished filmmaking, skilled storytelling and fine performances. And when all that is in place, you probably won't mind being emotionally manipulated just a tad. After all, this is the kind of survivalist story which calls for just that.