Stranded: I've Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains

I was hit very hard by these first-hand testimonies told, 36 years later, as if they had been lived yesterday. In the middle of the movie I began to pray. It just happened spontaneously in front of this amazing testimony of faith, a faith that made the miracle that those bodies worn and weary physically and psychologically were able to resist continuing adversity -first the crash, then the avalanche-, for so many days -two months- and then make that final effort that can not be humanly explained. The miracle is both of those who survived as well as of those who died and gave -spiritually and materially- their lives for the others. Thanks to those who made the film. Thanks that we could saw it. See it.

It is hard to describe the excitement of these young rugby players, some rich and pampered, who were getting a chance to get away for a long weekend and spread their wings. They were full of anticipation of things to come.

In a short time, they experienced their first snow. The only problem was that they were chest deep in it on top of a mountain with dead bodies all around them.

But, the crash wasn't the end of it. After settling down to survive, they were caught in an avalanche that took eight more. It was harder to eat the bodies of their friends. They were trapped in the fuselage and couldn't get to the bodies outside. They had to use the bodies that were in there with them.

The amazing journey of those sent to find help was unbelievable. Without experience or equipment, they travelled for eight days over the mountains.

The story is told 30 years later by the 16 survivors and they make the reenactments come alive with their stories.

It is not a gruesome tale. They looked at what they were doing as something spiritual. The fact that they maintained calm and acted as a group is a powerful humanistic comment on men.

One of my earliest memories was when little Billy Markland came into kindergarten and told everyone, "a plane crashed and the people ate the people." That was all he said, and for years if not decades, that's basically all the world knew about it. Sure some details emerged, a book was written, and Ethan Hawke did a movie about it, but we never really got the full story. Not like we finally get here.

When I say "the full story", I'm not talking about the gory details of what human flesh tastes like (which, be honest, is what we're all wondering!). But what this film offers is some profound insight into the minds of the survivors, as told by themselves.

I was really surprised at how intelligent and philosophical their statements are. The survivors touch on many compelling subjects, like "is cannibalism an act of primitive savagery, or could it be an evolutionary step forward?" The kids aboard the doomed flight were mostly religious and with strong moral consciences. But when morality interferes with survival, does it become obsolete? Another interesting topic touched upon is "how does a social structure form itself?" We are given insight into what codes of behaviour emerge among a group of people who are no longer bound to follow any codes of behaviour. If you think author William Golding had it pegged in "Lord of the Flies", you might want to watch this as the antithesis to that pessimistic parable of human society.

Therein lies the power of this documentary. It's not just a tale of 14 survivors in the snow. It's an allegory of the entire human species and what we do to survive and hopefully evolve into something greater.

This is the kind of film that can provide hours of interesting debate around the dinner table (uh... well maybe not the DINNER table). If you approach it like a scientist studying an experiment, you will be fascinated. In fact, one of the survivors talks about how it felt like they were guinea pigs in some laboratory test, designed to show how humans hold up under the most maddening conditions.

The only minor criticism I have is that the documentary feels slightly biased, aiming to glorify the survivors and shy away from any negative portrayals. That's fair; the survivors doubtlessly deserve glorification. But it made me wonder if there was a little more to the story that we weren't told. I admit that's sheer cynical speculation (I should probably stop watching Fox News).

In any case, this is a well-made documentary with lots of intelligent interviews, some convincing, dramatic re-enactments and definitely enough meat to it. Oooh, bad metaphor... Let's just say the film really picks your brain. Oopsie, another TASTELESS quip. Haha, I bet you're FED UP WITH PEOPLE like me... Aw, please don't give me the COLD SHOULDER.....

Cannibals hate comedians... because they taste funny. Yuk yuk

The story of the survivors of the famous plane crash that inspired 'Alive' – the book and movie.

But rather than focus on the sensationalistic aspects (the death, the cannibalism), it focuses on the emotions, the spiritual crisies, the triumphs and the humanity of these remarkable men.

Through a mix of amazingly candid, open (and beautifully shot) interviews, subtle, well done re- creation footage (a technique I usually despise, but is done so deftly that it works), old footage and photographs, and film of the men returning to the site of their harrowing adventure 30 years later, some with their children, this creates a deeply moving portrait of friendship, loss, courage, and introspection.

The actual survivors of the 1972 Andes plane crash have finally spoken, and you will be captivated by their words. Gonzalo Arijon, a neighbor and friend of many of the survivors, has put together a documentary called "Stranded: I Have Come from a Plane that Crashed on the Mountains" that retells the story and illuminates it with commentary from all the survivors. The result is the closest one could possibly get to empathizing with that situation and gaining any sort of understanding of how life changes when you are stranded in the mountains for over 70 days.

The film tells it from right as they are getting on the plane until their eventual rescue, leaving very little out. It runs a bit too long, but it's worth it for the emotional impact. You need to have some familiarity with the monotony of the survivors' lives for those two months to truly appreciate their rescue.

While the survivors are the ones who truly make this story come to life, Arijon succeeds in his reenactments and the way he overlaps the survivors' words with these images. He never reenacts anything dramatically or let any words other than those of the survivors into the film. The images he recreates simply set a mood, provide some sort of visual context for the words of the survivors.

The way these men describe what happened is simply remarkable. They seem to recall it so vividly and the words they use to convey feelings that an overwhelming majority of people cannot ever say they have experienced in such a way that you can understand it. When the survivors are hit with an avalanche, the way they describe this near-death experience gives you a sense of what death might feel like. It is not far off when these men refer to their survival as coming back to life. The silence during the very sensitive and difficult parts is also very appropriate and effective. Lastly, the survivors come at the experience from all angles. There is so much to think about in this film from the way they view life now to how being outside of civilization affects your mind to the ethical considerations of the cannibalism that these men chose to partake in.

"Stranded" is powerful, deep and rich with complexity. It was far and away worth the four years of effort and care that Arijon gave it. It is simply one of the best stories of human perseverance ever and the film conveys this with absolute accuracy. ~Steven C

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