They had to pass for ten years JA Bayona finally managed to publish ‘The Snow Society’. Set in 1972, the work not only tells the survival story of Uruguayan travelers, but also serves as a tribute to resilience and human generosity. One month after its publication, The Bayonne effect is still present as can be seen at Lys cinemas, where five sessions with the director himself are planned this Thursday.
Why did you decide to focus on such a well-known story?
Because I think the version given by Pablo Vierci in his book is very different from the story I know and which is completely based on facts. Here it is more based on the soul, the inner life of the characters. And from this point on the story becomes much more compassionate and less focused on anthropophagy and what they do on the mountain. It is more focused on the inner journey, accepting the shadow part, the personality… I liked that the story had a much more complex reading.
Is there more pressure since it’s such a well-known story?
Vierci’s story is constructed against the story’s construction in the popular imagination. The story was very much based on this idea of heroism, a little bit “Hollywood”, and very focused on the idea of anthropophagy, cannibalism. What Vierci knew very well how to do was to focus on the idea of collectivity, of generosity, of how to create a society where each individual does their best to ensure that, in the end, 16 out of 45 passengers return home.
It took over ten years to make the film, what was the process like?
When the money didn’t come, I was withdrawing something. We tried to finance it using the traditional way of going to the cinema, as we do with all films, but the fact that the film was in Spanish and had unknown actors made the journey even more difficult. Eventually Netflix came along and gave us the money and the freedom to shoot the movie the way we wanted. And now, thanks to Netflix, we have the opportunity to show the movie in movie theaters.
What benefits does it provide to have a platform like Netflix behind it?
I’m putting in money that wouldn’t come in otherwise. Netflix doesn’t need showrooms to be strong when it comes to movie production. This is what allows high-budget art films to be made, thanks to Netflix.
But it also hurts the box office as it will be available on the platform next month.
It is a different type of exhibition. They make a living by showing their movies on their platforms. They make exceptions in some projects and can be watched on the big screen. And we are lucky to be one of them.
He was talking to family members and survivors. What were those meetings like?
We have had many meetings during these ten years. It was a progressive approach that would enable them to understand what the features of our project were and from what perspective we were telling the story. And it’s always been a very positive and collaborative response. Both the survivors and the family of the deceased.
Did they say yes from the first moment?
From the first moment I went to Montevideo myself and sat down with them, we had a yes, and that remains true to this day. They’ve already seen the movie and supported it very openly.
What was your reaction?
It was quite an experience for us because neither the survivors nor the families of the dead had actually read the script. They helped make this movie a lot, so we had a responsibility to what we said. And the story that is actually the story of their lives. But it was very positive. We were very nervous before the transition. Families of the dead and survivors watched together. And at the end there was a big round of applause. The people stood up. And there’s a lot of hugging between people who haven’t been in a relationship for 50 years. Thanks to the film, the wall of silence that had been self-imposed for 50 years was broken to some extent.
What surprised you most about their stories?
The details were always so surprising. We tend to approach this story with very preconceived notions, highly contaminated by the genre of movies that are made. When you talk to them and they talk to you in first person, they are always very surprised. That’s why we decided to always work very closely with survivors.
One of the things that stands out the most is when the audience sees themselves reflected, because they are likely to do the same thing.
The film places the viewer in a situation of entering into the skin of the other. And from there figure out where our limits are, ask ourselves if we can do something similar. This is where the film works like a mirror. They fell into a place where life was not possible and had to recreate it. And by doing this. They had to decide what was important and what was unimportant. And we see ourselves reflected in this scheme of priorities. We also question what is important in our lives and what is not.
Cannibalism is also handled with great care.
Yes, it was a very sensitive issue. The story stuck pretty closely to this idea. When I read the book, I thought this was a small matter compared to the collective experience, how the group gave themselves to each other to finally get home.
Wasn’t shooting in the snow an easy task?
Filming forced us to constantly adapt to the mountains. When you shoot in these conditions at an altitude of 2,500 meters, just like we did in the Sierra Nevada, you always have to be open to changes of plan so as not to stop shooting. We had a production team there with three planes at different altitudes, so the mountain never stopped us from shooting, but the conditions were still very challenging. But they were also very helpful in helping players get the interpretation they wanted.
Have you considered throwing in the towel at any point?
At some point during financing yes, but during filming no. Filming was difficult because of everything this story involved. The determination of these people to help each other, take care of each other, and eventually return home. It was an energy that pushed you forward every day.