'We need to understand images that are too hard to imagine': How real-life Snow Circle survivors helped Netflix film director

Director Juan Antonio Bayona makes realism his priority in “Snow Circle”. The feature film depicting the tragedy of the Andes is based on the book published in 2009 by Pablo Vierchi and the testimonies of 16 survivors collected by the filmmaker. In total, more than one hundred hours of conversations were recorded for the purposes of the film.

The survivors — some of whom appear in the feature film — also played a surprising role in the creation of the Snow Circle. In addition to conveying memories, they participated in development Stories – Drawings that allow you to accurately imagine many frames of the film. “Usually, the director takes care of that.”Juan Antonio Bayona explains to AlloCiné. “This time I wanted to reflect reality and the only way to do that was to let them express their memories.“

Stories created by survivors

So a conceptual artist who creates storyboards was sent to the 16 survivors. “He was in their service, adds the filmmaker. We had to understand images that are very difficult to imagineThe survivors were able to explain what the interior of the plane was really like after the crash, what the hammocks they slept in looked like, where the bodies were, how their suitcases were located and how they survived.

Comparison of story (left) and film stills (right).

It is enough to compare the real photos of the tragedy and the ones in the film to understand the accuracy of the details. But the team snow circle He went even further by going directly to the scene of the tragedy. “It took us three days to get there.”, specifies Juan Antonio Bayona. “It is a difficult place to reach by helicopter and because of dangerous avalanches.”

The filmmaker and some of his assistants shot specific shots and then put the actors in the environment with the help of digital effects. These landscapes replaced the plains of Spain where the film was actually shot.

Commentary collected by Thomas Desroches, Paris, October 2023.

Snow Circle is available on Netflix.