True/False Films

Stranded

In person: director Gonzalo Arijon.

The sensational saga of the Uruguayan rugby team that resorted to cannibalism after crashing in the Andes is familiar to anyone who was conscious in the early '70s, but Stranded: I've Come from a Plane That Crashed in the Mountains tells a definitive story that leaves us red-faced for thinking we knew the truth. Over time, director Gonzalo Arijon befriended the survivors and convinced them to finally tell their story and to revisit the scene of the crash. 35 years later, Stranded suggests the men have only now summoned up the courage to talk about it. The men — who live within a few blocks of each other to this day — continue to honor their comrades through a palpable, lingering regret about desecrating the corpses. Arijon took some chances in shooting dramatic reenactments of the events and they work better than can be imagined; he intercuts this footage with clips of the post-recovery press conference, and recently found archival photographs By handling the story with tremendous care, Arijon transforms a titillating tale into a sanctified, inspirational one: we're left with a profound respect for the men and an awakened awe for life itself. (PS)