The 33
Starring Antonio Banderas, Juliette Binoche
Directed by Patricia Riggen
It was a story that captivated the entire world. Millions were glued to television screens watching the events unfold in October 2010 as, one by one, 33 Chilean miners emerged into the sunlight of the Atacama Desert after being trapped in an underground mine for 69 days. It was only a matter of time before the extraordinary ordeal was turned into a movie. Though Patricia Riggen’s The 33 offers a generally melodramatic and sanitized version of the saga, it’s not without its emotional resonance and poignant moments.
The actors, including Antonio Banderas (as unofficial leader ‘Super’ Mario Sepúlveda), Juliette Binoche, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rodrigo Santoro, and Gabriel Byrne, don’t exactly scream Chilean roots, but they do their best despite a few wonky accents sprinkled throughout.
Another slightly glaring issue is the rather trite script, cobbled together by several screenwriters working from Héctor Tobar’s definitive bestseller, which drains some of the tension and complexity from the actual events but contains some well-placed humour.
That being said, The 33’s plot is a sprawling journey that shifts from the miners, their families, the political landscape, and the rescue efforts themselves. Riggen and company do a commendable job holding these elements together, albeit not always that gracefully. Yet, where the movie fails on the page, it makes up for with stunning cinematography that contrasts the stark and washed out environment of the Chilean desert with the dark and grimy aspects of the mine interior.
The 33 may be clichéd but it’s also immensely watchable.
