blurred-reality.com – No, Numa Turcatti does not survive in Society of the Snow. He dies of injury, infection, and malnutrition, just 10 days before the remaining people get rescued.
Some films simply leave an indelible mark on your mind and heart, and Netflix‘s latest offering, Society of the Snow, is one such film that many will remember for years to come.
The movie, inspired by Flight 571, tells the story of a plane that crashed into the Andes highlands in 1972, stranding a Uruguayan rugby team. It carried 40 passengers and 5 crew members, including local rugby players, supporters, relatives, and family. Twelve passengers were killed in the crash. The remaining 33 faced horrific and dismal conditions in the snow-covered highlands. While 16 of them managed to survive, other passengers eventually died as a result of their injuries and ill health.
With the release of Society of the Snow, we have found that many viewers have been wanting to know if Numa Turcatti, who narrates the story, survives at the end of the movie. Well, let’s find it out together.
Numa Does Not Survive in Society of the Snow!
Numa Turcatti, being the narrator of Society of the Snow, does not survive at the end. He dies in his sleep. He is the last to die, with the other sixteen survivors being rescued roughly two weeks later.
Numa Turcatti was not able to survive by the end of Society of the Snow.
Image Source: Netflix
He had been battling an illness caused by injuring his leg while digging out of the avalanche. He was also exceedingly hesitant to eat human meat and was in poor physical condition due to starvation. Because of these factors, he realized he was dying and spent his last days preparing his friends for his death.
A few days before his death, Numa tells Nando Parrado that he accepts his fate and will not be able to leave the mountains. Despite Nando’s request that he not be so forlorn, Numa has clearly accepted his fate. He goes so far as to warn Nando that if the necessity arises, his friends can eat his flesh to stay alive. It’s a significant commitment on his behalf, especially given that he was one of the few who opposed eating the deceased.
Numa’s death had a profound emotional impact in Society of the Snow. As narrator for the majority of the film, his disappearance has a significant impact on the ending.
He was also one of the most vocal opponents of eating the bodies of the other passengers, thus his farewell note granting his buddies permission to eat his was very emotional. His demise reinforced one of the film’s primary messages: the audience determines who survives.
Society of the Snow: How Did the Andes Crash Happen?
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which was carrying members of the Old Christians rugby club as well as friends, family, and supporters, crashed when its pilot became severely disoriented.
Real picture from the scene of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crash.
Image Source: Smithsonian
Co-pilot Dante Héctor Lagurara, who was flying the twin-engined Fairchild turboprop, wrongly thought he had passed a waypoint over the Chilean city Curicó when the plane was supposed to head north toward Santiago and begin its descent.
However, the plane was still over the Andes, about 40 miles east of Curicó, and it was still in Argentina. After starting its descent prematurely, the Fairchild collided with a mountain.
The crash site of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 is located near the Chilean border in Mendoza Province, western central Argentina, at an elevation of approximately 11,700 feet. The coordinates are 34°45′53.5″S 70°17′06.6″W.
Initially, 33 of the 45 people on board survived the crash, but they were subjected to sub-zero temperatures and had depleted the plane’s limited food supplies, which primarily comprised of wine and chocolate bars, within a week. To live, they started devouring the bodies of those who had died. By the time they were rescued on December 22nd and 23rd, 17 more had died. An avalanche at the end of October killed eight people, contributing significantly to the increase in the death toll.