A Mountain's Cry
I find it strange how some events dominate the news more than others especially those from other countries. Take the summer of 2010 when there was the Chilean mining accident leaving 33 miners trapped in a San José mine. Now don't get me wrong as it was a news worthy story but this story about 33 men no one outside of their families and towns had heard of dominated the international news till 69 days after the collapse of the tunnel they were rescued. In fact their story continued to dominate TV for a few weeks after as there were shows which covered their story and unsurprisingly the words "movie of" were being heard as it was suggested that Hollywood would make a movie of what happened. Well whilst the Hollywood movie seems to have gone nowhere at least for now there was a movie made about the disaster, in fact a Chilean movie called "Trapped".
Anyway "Trapped" or "Los 33 de San José" is basically a dramatization of the events which happened down the mine as the miners find themselves trapped shortly after they started their shift. We see how they searched for a way out and how there was clashes of personalities when it came to who was in charge. And at the same time we see the loved ones on the surface, emotionally waiting especially in the first few days as they hope for a sign of life.
Now on one hand "Trapped" is better than a Hollywood movie because it doesn't have those big manufactured scenes which are there to please audiences who like their big moments of triumph. And it features a cast of actors who to be honest I had never heard of but that adds to a sense of authenticity as if we are watching men who could be miners whilst their families could be loved ones desperate for news.
But on the other hand "Trapped" whilst a fascinating and a solidly made movie lacks atmosphere. Considering the immediacy of the situation that never comes across and often things are mentioned rather than felt such as when the boss says they would go crazy with out light.
What this all boils down to is that "Trapped" is an interesting and solid drama about the Chilean mining accident. But whilst in some ways this Chilean movie has an air of authenticity it never fully captures the atmosphere and immediacy of the situation.
