Stranded (Gonzalo Arijon, 2007)

Region 1 Zeitgeist (USA)
NTSC, 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced
126 minutes
Audio: DD 2.0 stereo Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English
Extras: The Making of Stranded; theatrical trailer

Released: 28 April 2009

You may have heard about the airplane carrying an Uruguayan rugby team that crashed into the Andes Mountains while on its way to Chile. The story has been recounted in the best-selling book Alive and a Hollywood movie with the same title. That 16 of the 45 passengers survived after two months in extreme cold is awe-inspiring in and of itself, but the survivors’ story became frequently repeated due to an extraordinary decision that they made; in order to live, the survivors ate the dead.

I’ve known about this incident for many years (going back to when I was in high school during the mid-1990s), but I always do a metaphoric double-take when I hear or think about the Andes Survivors. Although there are a handful of societies that still practice cannibalism, most humans are raised to abhor the act. I’m sure that there were specific religious or cultural reasons for arguing against cannibalism, but these days, most cautionary messages about cannibalism seem designed to make people feel queasy. I’m sure that the Andes Survivors weren’t just struggling with moral and ethical issues when they decided to eat the dead, who were their friends and relatives; they must’ve also struggled with their gag reflexes.

Due to the taboo nature of cannibalism, most third-party discussions about the Andes Survivors inevitably gravitate towards the survivors’ source of sustenance. However, as Gonzalo Arijon’s Stranded makes clear, the survivors faced many difficulties, and obtaining food was only one of many hardships. For example, the plane crashed in deep, soft snow, and with snow settling around the plane due to an avalanche, it was almost impossible for aerial seekers to find the plane. The survivors had trouble creating a heat source, so they had to rely on eating snow and ice for water (which is not as effective as drinking liquid water). The aforementioned avalanche effectively buried the survivors for several days, which severely limited their oxygen supply.

Stranded features face-to-face interviews with several of the survivors accompanied by re-enactments. The director grew up knowing many of the survivors, and cinematographer Cesar Charlone was almost on the same flight as the survivors. Stranded was produced more than 30 years after the incident, which is understandable when you see that the survivors are still haunted by their memories.

How you respond to Stranded depends on your character. Some of you will think that the survivors behaved logically and reasonably because they maintained their composure (they realized that they didn’t have any energy to waste on shouting and fighting). Some of you may be so shocked by the cannibalism that you are compelled to shut off your TV. I urge everyone to consider the numerous dimensions of the survivors’ ordeal. These were mainly city-folk who had to learn camping and mountaineering skills in the blink of an eye. These were loving, caring, moral people who had to make many extraordinary decisions that challenged conventional thinking but ultimately kept them alive, which is usually the paramount concern.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to hear about this experience from the survivors, but I’m also relieved that I have never been in a similar situation.

Video:
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image varies quite a bit in quality. The contemporary footage of the interviewees is sharp and pristine, though archival and re-enactment footage are frequently blurry and damaged. Nevertheless, it’s always apparent what is meant to be archival footage and what is meant to be re-enactment footage.

Audio:
The basic, no-frills DD 2.0 stereo Spanish audio track gets the job done. The interviewees’ voices are always clear and intelligible, and the music selections (though sometimes a bit overbearing) don’t interfere with your ability to hear the participants talking.

Extras:
The hour-long “The Making of Stranded” contains additional interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. You also get a theatrical trailer.

--Miscellaneous--
An insert booklet provides a note from the director, a mini-biography of cinematographer Cesar Charlone, and chapter listings. The transparent keepcase allows you to look at a photo of the survivors taken during their ordeal and various text credits printed on the photo.