Society of the Snow: Who Are Roberto Canessa and Fernando Parrado Who Saved The Survivors
From 4 January 2024, the Society of the Snow will be available on Netflix. This is the new Spanish thriller film directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, which tells the true story of the plane crash that occurred in the heart of the Andes in 1972. In 1972, when they and their teammates were victims of a terrible plane crash that would later be remembered as the disaster or miracle of the Andes, Roberto Canessa and Fernando Parrado were very young Uruguayan rugby players. They were 19 and 22 years old respectively and on 13 October 1972, they were on a plane which, after hitting a rock face, ended up crashing in the snow of the Andes, in the Argentine territory of Malargüe.
Society of the Snow: Who Are Roberto Canessa and Fernando Parrado
Canessa and Parrado made history as two of the 16 survivors of the plane crash where the survivors were forced to engage in acts of cannibalism to avoid dying of starvation. And they were precisely the two “saviors”, that is, the two boys who set out on a 10-day walking expedition through the mountains in search of salvation wearing sleeping bags, layers of clothes to protect themselves from the cold, and supplies of human meat, coming from the bodies of their dead companions, so as not to die of hunger. But who were and who are Roberto Canessa and Fernando Parrado today? We tell you their story on the occasion of the release on Netflix of the film Society of the Snow, the third film adaptation of the 1972 tragedy.
Who Is Roberto Canessa Who Saved the Survivors of The Plane Crash In The Andes
Born in Montevideo on 17 January 1963, Roberto Canessa is a former rugby player, former survivor of the Andes plane crash, and Uruguayan politician. At the time of the plane crash, Canessa was only 19 years old and a medical student. Roberto was called “muscle” by his companions for his strong and muscular physique and was one of the first survivors to propose eating the flesh of his companions who died after the plane crash, breaking the taboo of cannibalism. It was he who ate the first bite of human flesh. Roberto, together with Fernando Parrad, decided to start crossing the Andes on foot in search of someone. After 10 days, he and Parrado met a man, and from there came salvation. After the accident, Roberto married his girlfriend at the time, Laura, with whom he had three children, and became a cardiologist. He also continued to play rugby where he wore the shirt of the Uruguayan national team 8 times. In 1994 he entered politics by running for president in Uruguay.
Who Is Fernando Parrado Who Saved the Survivors Of The Plane Crash In The Andes
Fernando Parrado, born in Montevideo on 9 December 1949, is one of the survivors of the plane crash in the Andes and the boy who, together with Roberto Canessa, arrived in Chile on an expedition on foot in search of salvation. Fernando lost his mother in the crash in the Andes and also his sister after a few days. After the accident and the salvation that came after 73 days trapped in the snow without food, Parrado completed his studies and graduated despite suffering greatly from the loss of his mother and sister in the plane crash. He became a professional racing car driver, then left racing after getting married. He took over his father’s company, Seler Parrado SA. Parrado has also become a television personality and uses his experience as a survivor to help people with psychological trauma. Fernando Parrado wrote, together with Rause Vince, the book Seventy-two Days. The True Story of the Andean Survivors and My Struggle to Return and co-produced the 1993 film Alive directed by Frank Marshall. Ethan Hawke was played in the film.
