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

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,

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.

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?

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.”

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.

Nando Parrado

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.

'Society of the Snow' Cast

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 Otaño 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

'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.