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

Play trailer Poster for Stranded: I've Come From a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains 2008 1h 53m Documentary History Drama Adventure Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Survivors of the 1972 Andes plane crash tell their story.
Stranded: I've Come From a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains

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Critics Consensus

Stranded is a thoroughly uplifting account of the well-known tragedy, with touching testimony from remaining survivors.

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Critics Reviews

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Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune 01/23/2009
3.5/4
Stranded is remarkable documentary filmmaking, unflinching and full of unlikely grace. Go to Full Review
Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer 12/11/2008
4/4
A tale of horror, heroism, unimaginable physical challenges, and, yes, cannibalism, Stranded offers the kind of real-life drama that can't help but bring up notions of God, fate, and nature's imposing will. Go to Full Review
John Hartl Seattle Times 12/05/2008
3.5/4
Stranded is a magnificent achievement: a true nonfiction epic that makes its predecessors seem puny. What were the Academy Awards voters thinking when they recently rejected it from this year's documentary competition? Go to Full Review
Tim Heffernan Esquire Magazine 10/18/2018
It is a documentary. And it is built largely not out of images but words. That's not to say it's visually dull - it's actually stunning much of the time - but its strength comes from the stories that are told. Go to Full Review
Jules Brenner Filmcritic.com 05/26/2009
4/5
a gripping tale of rescue and escape from death Go to Full Review
Sarah Boslaugh Playback:stl 12/06/2008
6/10
... a serious documentary which is respectful of the feelings of all concerned, and gives the survivors ample time to explain their choices. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Celso O @RT04794968 07/21/2024 Excelentes interpretações dos atores, filme muito paupável e bem realizado See more 03/04/2016 Stranded is the story of survival of 16 members of a Uruguan rugby team from the mouths of the survivors themselves. Surprisingly spiritual reflections of concepts of "society/community", "God/fate", "The Mountain/Nature". The subject of cannibalism is dealt with sensitively. JDT: 5/5. I remember that certain people were saying that they were using the spiritual to excuse cannibalism, but this movie disproves that theory. For some it really was a communion, as one of the survivors said, he still feels them talking to him. See more 10/25/2015 An excellent documentary on the Andes tragedy that manages to tell the story gracefully through the survivor's testimony. See more 03/19/2015 awesome doc better than the 'Hollywood version" of this See more 04/10/2014 The incredible true story of the 14 men that survived the plane crash in the Andes Mountains & survived for 72+ days with out proper food. It's covers all of them on a personal level & it truly is extraordinary what they do to survive the power of the human spirit. The final trek of 2 men that ended up bumping into a shepherd that ultimately saved their lives. It's a powerful story of what humans are capable of, great documentary! See more 04/12/2013 ¨We had to do things that I don´t think any animal is capable of doing.¨ In 1972 a group of Uruguayan rugby players were on their way to Chile for an international match when the plane crashed in the middle of the Andes. Several passengers survived the horrific crash, but the worst was still to come because they were left stranded in the middle of a vast white mountain chain with ho help in sight. After more than 70 days in the mountains, sixteen passengers managed to survive. We´ve heard the story before; they even made a film in 1993 starring Ethan Hawke inspired on these true events. What is unique about this documentary is that for the first time in 30 years the 16 survivors got together to travel back to where the horrific events took place and they share their story accompanied by some family members who wouldn't have been alive today if they hadn't survived that terrible experience. The survivors share their testimony beginning from the anticipation many of them had before leaving Montevideo as it was for some their first international flight, continuing to how horrible the crash was and the experience of losing family members and friends, and finally sharing their struggle for survival in this unknown territory. They hold no bars, they speak about how they had to eat the dead bodies of their friends in order to survive, and even convert that terrible experience of cannibalism into a spiritual journey. Finally the documentary ends with the climactic expedition two passengers decide to make in order to find help. This is a tale of survival like you haven't seen before and one worth experiencing. The title is much longer than the original one, La Sociedad de la Nieve (Society of the Snow), but in a way it does hook and captivate your attention. The documentary is based on the Uruguayan bestselling novel in which the 16 survivors share their unique experiences through that terrible ordeal. The documentary may not have great technical visuals, but it is worth watching for the testimonies alone. There is one scene where one of the survivors is talking about how difficult it was for them to eat human flesh, while he is eating some snacks during the interview in the same spot where they had crashed 30 years ago. These men knew that they had no other way to survive and feel no remorse for what they have done because they know it was the right decision. They not only justified their actions, but some even managed to make it a spiritual one by comparing it with Jesus´ last supper. The interviews alone are what make this film worth watching because there are very few original photos or reenactments. It is all about this group of friends and how they managed to survive sticking together. The film doesn't focus so much on the deaths or the cannibalism; it doesn't try to be sensationalistic, it is more about the human spirit and the struggle for survival. I felt like it touched a lot more on human emotions rather than on trying to make a circus of the entire situation like the press did 30 years ago. The final 30 minutes are completely gripping and fascinating. This is one of those rare documentaries that will stick with you for a long time. Stranded was directed by Gonzalo Arijon with a very humanistic approach. This could have been such a tasteless film, but he really gets to the heart of the matter and gives each one of the survivors time to share their point of views and testimonies. This film won several awards and was even nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, but unfortunately it was competing against Man on Wire, the documentary that won pretty much every prize that year including the Oscar. I might be biased, but I really enjoyed this one much more. I was fascinated by the story despite knowing all about it. I simply loved the way the entire project was approached and how well the retelling of the story was done. This is a remarkable and emotional documentary, one you won´t want to miss. The testimonies of what happened during the avalanche and the near death experience was probably the highlight of the film for me. It was truly shocking and gripping. http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/ See more Read all reviews
Stranded: I've Come From a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains

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Movie Info

Synopsis Survivors of the 1972 Andes plane crash tell their story.
Director
Gonzalo Arijon
Screenwriter
Gonzalo Arijon
Distributor
Zeitgeist
Genre
Documentary, History, Drama, Adventure, Biography
Original Language
Spanish
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 22, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 10, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$89.5K
Runtime
1h 53m