Society of the Snow

In 1972, a plane carrying a rugby team to Chili crashed in the Andes. Those who survived the crash are left to deal with cold, snow storms, hunger, and increasingly dwindling odds of survival.

This is a movie that I am glad I watched, but I will never watch it again. What these men went through is unimaginable, and the movie doesn't shy away from it. The brutal crash sequence emphasized the devastation that began their 72 days stranded in the Andes.

As great as the movie is, it is incredibly tough to watch. Spoilers for real life: they do eventually resort to eating the remains of the dead to survive. It is not glorified; it is just something they do. What makes it more impactful is that the movie takes the time to acknowledge everyone who died by putting their name and age on screen. These are not just random people they are eating; these are their friends. It is a powerful thing to do and reminds you that these are real people who went through this hardship.

“Society of the Snow” is now available on Netflix.

8/10

Rated R for violent/disturbing material, brief graphic nudity

2hr 24m

The Zone of Interest

Commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife (Sandra Hüller) live with their family in the shadow of Auschwitz.

This was the last movie I needed to get all of the 2024 Best Picture nominees, and that is the only reason I intended to watch it. The subject matter seemed too heavy. It was, the movie was also not very good. Once you get past the mediocre drama with Auschwitz literally in the background, there is not much to the movie.

The most intriguing thing about it was watching this family live their lives while hearing dogs barking, gunshots, and people screaming in the background. The rest of the movie is very disjointed and uninteresting.

4/10

Rated PG-13 for some suggestive material, smoking and thematic material.

1h 46m.