"Society of the Snow": What's Real and Fiction in the Netflix Movie

Netflix's latest survival film, "Society of the Snow," presents a story based on real events. The goal is to depict the tragedy as faithfully as possible, but productions of this kind inevitably need to adapt, exclude some facts, or even create new situations.

The movie tells the story of a plane crash involving a Uruguayan rugby team in 1972. The aircraft collided with a mountain in the Andes Mountains and crashed into the snow. At the time of the crash, only 29 of the 45 passengers and crew members survived.

Living amidst the wreckage of the plane and a lot of snow, the group had to make do with what they had around them to stay alive. The film shocks by showing that they had to consume human flesh to avoid dying of starvation.

With so many details recounted by the 16 rescued survivors, Netflix had to alter some facts. Discover then, 10 changes made to the real events in the movie “Society of the Snow."

10. Plane Pilot

In "Society of the Snow," we see the pilot still alive after the plane crash, even conversing with the other survivors. He didn't survive in reality; death was instantaneous due to the aircraft's impact on the mountains.

9. Helicopters

Regarding the rescue shown at the end of the movie, the helicopter operation took place in two trips, not just one, as explained by the director of "Society of the Snow," Juan Antonio Bayona.

In the real rescue, the aircraft picked up half of the survivors in one day, while the team stayed at the site with the rest overnight. The next day, the helicopter returned to pick up those who were left.

8. Copilot

The copilot of the plane, in real life, also initially survived the crash but was trapped in his seat. He then asked the passengers to shoot him to avoid the suffering he would endure, but his request was denied. He died a day later.

7. Roberto and Nando

The movie scenes showing the characters Nando and Roberto crossing the Andes in search of help were slightly altered. In reality, the friends disagreed when deciding the route.

While Nando suggested walking to the summit, Roberto wanted them to go in a different direction. They decided to follow Nando's path because Roberto realized it would be much easier and faster.

6. Metal Pole

In an act of courage, we see Numa kicking a window of the plane to prevent passengers from suffocating and, in doing so, cuts his leg. Then he takes a metal pole and sticks it in the snow to serve as support for exiting the aircraft. In reality, it was Nando who led this heroic and risky act, not Numa.

5. Stop in Mendonza

Another detail omitted from the plot is the stop the flight had to make in Mendonza, a city in Argentina, due to weather conditions. The plane took off again for Chile the next day, but this part was left out to avoid making the movie even longer.

4. Food

When Nando and Roberto set out on their rescue missions, the character Antonio tells the group that the duo has enough food in their luggage to survive for 10 days. However, in reality, the amount would only last for three days.

3. Bread Chunk

In the movie “Society of the Snow," Nando and Roberto are spotted by a man on horseback. Before seeking help for the pair, he throws a chunk of bread to them for sustenance while they wait. However, this scene did not happen in real life.

2. Cannibalism

The Netflix film also doesn't show that initially, the surviving passengers concealed from reporters the information about having consumed human flesh, for obvious reasons. However, in future interviews, they ended up revealing all the details about the decision.

1. Press

“Society of the Snow" ends without depicting the full media frenzy surrounding the rescue, as the movie is already quite long. So, the director omitted all the sensationalism created by the media in response to the case, such as allegations that they had murdered other passengers.