'Society of the Snow': How to watch Netflix's survival film about doomed Flight 571

Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY
Updated ·4 min read
In this scene from "Society of the Snow," actors playing the survivors of an Uruguayan Air Force charter plane crash try to attract the attention of rescuers. The movie is Spain's entrant into Oscar's international film sweepstakes.
In this scene from "Society of the Snow," actors playing the survivors of an Uruguayan Air Force charter plane crash try to attract the attention of rescuers. The movie is Spain's entrant into Oscar's international film sweepstakes.

Everyone loves a story of grit, survival and beating the odds, and Netflix's "Society of the Snow" is just that.

The new film, which debuted on Netflix on Thursday, is based on doomed Flight 571, which crashed in the remote Andes Mountains on Oct. 13, 1972.

"The tale is not for the faint of heart: For those not familiar with the story, 'Society of the Snow' involves graphic depictions of the accident and what the victims had to do to keep from starving to death, including cannibalism," said Netflix about the film.

Here's everything you need to know about the film from award-winning Spanish Director J.A. Bayona,

"Society of the Snow" is another cinematic retelling of the crash of an Urguayan Air Force charter plane, which included members of a rugby team. Some were forced to eat dead friends to survive. Eventually 16 were rescued.
"Society of the Snow" is another cinematic retelling of the crash of an Urguayan Air Force charter plane, which included members of a rugby team. Some were forced to eat dead friends to survive. Eventually 16 were rescued.

What they got right: Fact checking 'Society of the Snow' plane disaster with Director J.A. Bayona

Is 'Society of the Snow' based on a true story?

"Society of the Snow," which closed out the Venice Film Festival in September, is inspired by Flight 571, which was carrying a Uruguayan rugby team and their friends and family when it crashed in a remote part of the Andes Mountains in 1972, instantly killing a dozen passengers. Several others died of their injuries soon after.

Search and rescue crews failed to find the plane and after eight days, called off their efforts. The eventually had to choose between death and cannibalism.

Incredibly, two survivors, Nando Parado and Roberto Canessa, traversed mountains and glaciers and hiked nearly 40 miles without proper gear to eventually get help. In the end, 16 of the 45 people on board survived.

The new film is based on Uruguayan author and journalist Pablo Vierci's 2008 book, "La Sociedad de la Nieve." While Vierci himself was not on the flight, he attended Stella Maris College in Montevideo, Uruguay, with flight survivors, who gave him firsthand accounts of their ordeal, according to Forbes.

Uruguayan journalist, author and screenwriter Pablo Vierci, poses for a picture at his house in Montevideo on November 15, 2023.
Uruguayan journalist, author and screenwriter Pablo Vierci, poses for a picture at his house in Montevideo on November 15, 2023.

Bayona told USA TODAY that the filmmakers "tried to be as close to what happened as possible."

"I remember having conversations with the other writers asking them not to alter the facts to make it more appealing to the audience and instead focus more on understanding the psychology behind what they did, and show that on the screen," Bayona said.

Where are the Andes Mountains?

Aerial view of the Andes Mountain range, near the border between Chile and Argentina, on January 29, 2013.
Aerial view of the Andes Mountain range, near the border between Chile and Argentina, on January 29, 2013.

The longest mountain range in the world at about 4,500 miles, the Andes are located along the entire western coast of South America, spanning seven countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, according to LiveScience.

Flight 571 crashed in a remote area on the range near the Argentine border, about 80 miles south of Santiago. The site of the crash is known as the Valley of Tears.

Flight 571 survivors

More than 50 years have passed since the crash took place and all but two survivors are alive. Javier Methol and José Luis "Coche" Inciarte died in 2015 and 2023, respectively.

Canessa and Parrado were actively involved in the film's production, supporting it at various media events. The film's production team had extensive conversations with the victims’ families and survivors.

“The survivors were instrumental. Their enthusiasm fueled the film and my perspective,” Bayona told Netflix. “It was essential for the (actors) to connect with the survivors and the other families.”

Left: Nando Parrado (L) and Roberto Canessa (R) attend a press conference in May 1974. Right: Carlos Paez Rodriguez, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa attend a red carpet for "The Society Of The Snow" at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 09, 2023.
Left: Nando Parrado (L) and Roberto Canessa (R) attend a press conference in May 1974. Right: Carlos Paez Rodriguez, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa attend a red carpet for "The Society Of The Snow" at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 09, 2023.

Roberto Canessa

Canessa, who was a 19-year-old medical student at the time of the crash, according to TIME, is now in his 70s and is a renowned pediatric cardiologist.

Roberto Canessa speaks during an interview before the inauguration of an exhibition to commemorate 40 years of the Flight 571 tragedy in Montevideo on August 22, 2012. Clothes and other objects belonging to some of the 40 passengers and five crew members are part of the exhibition.
Roberto Canessa speaks during an interview before the inauguration of an exhibition to commemorate 40 years of the Flight 571 tragedy in Montevideo on August 22, 2012. Clothes and other objects belonging to some of the 40 passengers and five crew members are part of the exhibition.

Nando Parrado

Survivor of an airplane crash in the Chilean Andes in 1972 Nando Parrado poses in a photocall before attending MABS 2019, Management & Business Summit, at Ifema on June 06, 2019 in Madrid, Spain.
Survivor of an airplane crash in the Chilean Andes in 1972 Nando Parrado poses in a photocall before attending MABS 2019, Management & Business Summit, at Ifema on June 06, 2019 in Madrid, Spain.

Parrado was 22 at the time of the crash and was "just a regular middle-class Uruguayan man waiting to start university," reports The Guardian.

Over the years, Parrado has led a successful television production company, grown his family hardware business and even raced cars.

Daniel Fernandez

Fernandez has largely remained in the shadows and not much is known about him.

Daniel Fernandez, one of the sixteen Uruguayan survivors of the airplane crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed in the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972, poses in front of a mural made by Graff Express depicting the accident in Montevideo on November 15, 2023.
Daniel Fernandez, one of the sixteen Uruguayan survivors of the airplane crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed in the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972, poses in front of a mural made by Graff Express depicting the accident in Montevideo on November 15, 2023.

'Society of the Snow' Cast

(L-R): Agustín Pardella as Nando Parrado and Matías Recalt as Roberto Candessa in "Society of the Snow".
(L-R): Agustín Pardella as Nando Parrado and Matías Recalt as Roberto Candessa in "Society of the Snow".

Here are the actors who play the real-life rugby players:

  • Enzo Vogrincic Roldán as Numa Turcatti

  • Matías Recalt as Roberto Canessa

  • Agustín Pardella as Nando Parrado

  • Tomas Wolf as Gustavo Zerbino

  • Diego Vegezzi as Marcelo Pérez

  • Esteban Kukuriczka as Adolfo “Fito” Strauch

  • Francisco Romero as Daniel Fernández Strauch

  • Rafael Federman (The Sleepwalkers) as Eduardo Strauch

  • Felipe González Ota?o as Carlitos Páez

  • Agustín Della Corte as Antonio “Tintín” Vizintín

  • Valentino Alonso as Alfredo “Pancho” Delgado

  • Simón Hempe as José Luis “Coche” Inciarte

  • Fernando Contigiani García as Arturo Nogueira

  • Benjamín Segura as Rafael “el Vasco” Echavarren

  • Rocco Posca as Ramón “Moncho” Sabella

A production still from Netflix's "Society of the Snow".
A production still from Netflix's "Society of the Snow".

'Society of the Snow' trailer

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Society of the Snow': How to watch Flight 571 film on Netflix

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