Following his success with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Spain’s J A Bayona's latest film depicts the tragic, surreal events that unfolded after the 1972 crash of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in the Andes.
The plane had been chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile and only 29 of its 45 passengers survived the accident. Trapped in one of the most hostile and inaccessible environments on Earth, they had to resort to extreme solutions to stay alive.
Based on Pablo Vierci’s 2008 novel of the same name – which was previously adapted into several documentaries and Frank Marshall’s 1993 Ethan Hawke-led fiction feature Alive – Bayona’s picture, titled Society of the Snow, was the closing title of this year’s Venice Film Festival.
During the press conference held at the Lido, Bayona explained how he was deeply moved by the story after reading the book and finding out he only knew “the tip of the iceberg” of those tragic events. In 2011, his creative team purchased the rights to work on a film adaptation.
“I started talking to Pablo [Vierci] and the survivors and, while reading the book, I had the impression they needed to tell the story. It took us a lot of time, and it wasn’t an easy production to work on,” Bayona says, alluding to both creative and technical hurdles that had to be overcome, including the harsh natural environment required as the film’s main setting.
Bayona reveals that most of the movie was shot in Sierra Nevada, Spain, and filming took about 140 days. Before entering production, the Spanish director spent one week in the Valley of Tears, to immerse himself in the real environment where the story unfolded.
“It’s a long journey to get there. You need to get used to the altitude and while being up there you realise how difficult it must have been, since life is not possible in such a place. Then you also realise how much effort these people put to recreate life.”
Speaking about the use of space, Bayona underscores that, while reading the novel, he realised it was impossible to fully understand the story – especially the experience of the victims’ feelings of solitude, hunger and cold – “without placing into the context of the geography of the place”.
“We tried to create a feeling of claustrophobia in open spaces. In a reduced space, you get this kind of intimacy, whereas the [view of the] mountains destroy it.”
The cast features Matias Recalt (starring as Roberto Canessa), Agustin Pardella (Nando Parrado), Tomas Wolf (Gustavo Zerbino) and Diego Vegezzi (Marcelo Perez).
Bayona admits that picking all the actors was “a rather complex task”. The casting sessions took place during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Spanish production began scouting actors in Uruguay but, owing to the small size of the local film industry, they widened the research by auditioning Argentine actors as well.
The team set up many casting sessions over Zoom, and auditioned more than 1,000 actors. “We were looking for physical resemblance, [even though it was] not a priority but it was still useful for us to get closer to the characters. We were also looking for people with a demeanour similar to that of the real survivors.”
The actors spent a week in quarantine, and then rehearsed for a month in Barcelona. This time together strengthened their bonds forming a very united group, thus recreating “a real society of the snow”.
Bayona does not hide how technically challenging it was to shoot in very small spaces and admits that they consulted with survivors whenever they had doubts about the veracity of what they were portraying. The heavy technical challenges made the team and director of photography Pedro Luque work “the way they could,” and “not the way they wanted”.
The feature was shot following the real chronological order. “We had never shot with so many actors – all of them present everyday and [crammed] in a very small environment and facing such harsh conditions, with all of them fully focused on doing their job,” says Bayona.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
