It Is Not a Movie, It Is Real Life. The 33 Movie Review.

Nowadays, it is hard to interest the viewer in a film showing dirty, sweaty men in narrow, dusty, poorly lit rooms. The 33 demonstrates not only the difficult and exhausting work in the mine but also talks about the strength of spirit of a MAN who wants to survive, which they cannot but admire.

Today I want to share with you The 33 movie review.

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The 33 plot.

Events are developing in Chile at one of the private mines. The owner of this mine saved a lot on construction and knew about the deterioration of its condition but did not stop work inside it. One day, a rock collapse occurs in the mine, and the workers, 33 people in total, remain trapped at a depth of 700 meters without the ability to get out on their own.

When they reach the rescue room, they discover that the radio does not work, there is only enough food and drink for a few people, and the rock has broken the ventilation shafts, so air is now in short supply. The main conflict of the picture is the constant struggle between hope and reason. On one side of the scale are 33 lives of ordinary workers, and on the other—an expensive rescue operation. These bowls are in an unstable state throughout the first half of the film.

Miners simply have to see their families! If they don’t die of hunger or go crazy first…

Notably, the film about a brutal male team and its characteristics was directed by a female director, Patricia Riggen. Chile, Colombia, and the USA jointly produced the film. Thanks to this, the film received a severe budget for a drama – $27 million – as well as Antonio Banderas and Juliette Binoche.

Is the 33 accurate?   

Yes, the film is entirely based on the real story of a mine collapse in the Atacama Desert in Chile. Most of the heroes have prototypes, real participants in the events star in the crowd, and the culprits of the incident are clearly and clearly indicated—the greedy owners of the company. The journalists who turned the drama of these people into a reality show have not been forgotten.

As far as I understand, a huge team of many specialists worked on the rescue. Who was not involved in the work? Scientists, technicians, doctors, psychologists, miners, rescuers, and others worked hard. Specialists from NASA and the submarine fleet were involved. A staff of the best minds worked around the clock. In the film, they briefly show the work of this huge mechanism. It’s a pity.

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What is the message of the movie The 33?

So, 33 people locked together, and then there were two hours of emotions. You will see the emergence of a leader, clashes, conflicts of interest, and oppression of the weak. The film very clearly shows all the stages of the tragedy experienced by people who found themselves buried alive underground. The hope of salvation is so tiny that you may doubt its possibility.

There is survival down there without water or food, grit, and the struggle is on the surface. Families camped around the rubble, and not a single family reconciled.  We could use a couple of people like their Minister of Coal Industry.

The film did a fantastic job of showcasing the leader’s image. Mario Sepulveda (Antonio Banderas) became an informal leader of the miners. Mario helps the men not lose their humanity. Moreover, he unites this team, takes responsibility for each of them, distributes food, and maintains order. Meanwhile, 700 meters above them, another leader seeks to destroy this stone coffin and find them – Rodrigo Santoro as Minister Golborne. It revives faith in people and authorities’ decency, honesty, responsibility and caring.

Mario and Golborne are essentially paired characters. One cleans up the downstairs, the other upstairs. One looks after the physical and emotional state of his comrades, and the other looks after the state of the miners’ families. They both do not let the light of hope in people’s eyes go out and try to do everything so that the miners get to the surface and meet their relatives.

The film features a song called “Gracias a la vida,” which translates to “Thank you, life.” Moreover, it plays precisely at the moment when everyone at all levels – above and below the ground – begins to lose hope. While corporations are busy calculating losses and questioning the economic feasibility of the entire operation, ordinary people from miner families live in hope.

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What is the life of 33 miners worth? My thoughts.

Every year around the world, 15,000 miners die due to rubble and explosions. Possibly, it is many more. 

I think this movie is, first of all, very humanistic. In the last scene, the director shows us the real heroes of the story. The have become close family people to each other. This scene will move even men to tears. After watching the film, utopian thoughts appeared in my head that the family could be more prominent, from citizens of an entire country to all people on earth. After all, we have one planet, and everyone has life too.

Thanks also to the direction, which combines tragedy and humor quite decently, maintains dynamics, clearly shows the national flavor, and alternates crowd scenes with individual monologues.

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Final words.

The 33 turned out to be full of events and emotions. I recommend it to everyone who loves survival films based on real events. I’ve watched it five times already, but I still get tears every time at the end of the film.

I’m glad that such a movie exists. And I advise you to watch it if you want to learn about this tragedy on the other side of the world and see a good, well-tailored movie.

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