Society of the Snow is a dramatization of the 1972 Andes flight disaster, told as a collective story of the people who endured it rather than as a conventional lone-hero survival thriller. It adapts Pablo Vierci’s book and draws on the testimony of survivors and families, while remaining a feature film—not a scene-by-scene documentary record.
Is Society of the Snow based on a true story?
Yes. The film depicts the crash of Flight 571, which carried a Uruguayan rugby team from Montevideo toward a match in Santiago, Chile. Netflix dates the crash to 13 October 1972. Its current synopsis says 29 of the flight’s 45 passengers survived the impact; the ordeal lasted 72 days, and 16 survivors ultimately returned home. Those figures describe different stages: surviving the crash did not mean surviving the days that followed.
The story had already been told in books, films, documentaries and plays. In an interview with the Associated Press, director J.A. Bayona said he wanted to honor the survivors, victims and Uruguayan culture. Author Pablo Vierci described the group’s experience as a way to see how people faced adversity and built a society shaped by compassion. That collective emphasis is central to the film’s approach.
Although the events are real, the film is a dramatic reconstruction. Its scenes and character perspectives should not be treated as independent documentary evidence for every detail. Netflix producer Belén Atienza said survivors who remained witnesses to the events were important to the filmmakers’ understanding of them.
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What book is the film based on?
Society of the Snow adapts Pablo Vierci’s 2008 book La Sociedad de la Nieve. The film is told primarily through Numa Turcatti’s point of view. That choice gives the story a perspective shaped by a member of the group who did not return, rather than organizing the entire account around one surviving hero.
For readers who want the source account, Vierci’s book is the natural next step. Check the language and edition before buying: the film’s adaptation credit does not establish which editions are currently available in a particular market.
How is this retelling framed differently?
The film’s group-centered perspective offers a different emphasis from the familiar survival-adventure framing. In the AP’s coverage, Alive (the 1993 film) and the television series Yellowjackets are mentioned as related screen references, but they are not equivalent accounts of the Flight 571 disaster. The meaningful points of comparison are whose perspective leads the story, how real people and testimony are handled, how Uruguayan culture and the group are represented, and how each version relates to its source material.
Bayona’s film uses real names and was shaped by contact with survivors and families, but it remains an adaptation of Vierci’s book. Its focus on Numa and the collective experience is an interpretive choice, not proof that every moment is presented exactly as it happened.
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Where was Society of the Snow filmed?
The production combined locations in South America and Spain. Netflix Tudum says the exterior Andes scenes were filmed at the Valley of Tears crash site in Argentina, while the rest of the filming took place at Sierra Nevada Ski Station in Granada, Spain. Netflix’s production announcement also lists Montevideo and locations in Chile and Argentina.
Who made the film, and when was it released?
J.A. Bayona directed and co-wrote Society of the Snow. Netflix announced its streaming release for 4 January 2024. In that dated announcement, Netflix also noted the film’s closing-film slot at the 80th Venice International Film Festival and the San Sebastián audience award. A later Netflix Tudum notice reported nominations for two Academy Awards, one Golden Globe and one BAFTA; those are nominations, not wins, and the notices are not an exhaustive current awards record.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where can you watch Society of the Snow?
Netflix’s title page currently offers the film on Netflix, but streaming catalogs vary by territory and can change. Check the title page or search within Netflix in your own region for current access and language options.
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