The Rescue (2021)—Thailand

This National Geographic Documentary Film chronicles the improbable and daring rescue of a soccer team of twelve boys and their coach who were trapped in a six-mile-long flooded cave in Thailand. In the summer of 2018, amidst the country's monsoon rains, the story transfixed the shared humanity of the entire world. I can't recall seeing a movie that was more fraught with tension, inspiration, and incredulity, despite the fact that you know the end of the story before watching it. Most viewers seem to agree, too, as the movie has earned universal acclaim and numerous awards. Despite barriers of language, culture, logistics, and national pride, more than 5,000 Thai citizens and the Thai military, and hundreds of volunteers from around the world, joined in the effort. One of the interesting things about the film is that it is a cut-n-paste effort by the directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. They had 87 hours of footage shot by other people with which to work, supplemented by interviews conducted over Zoom, and by some re-enactments. In addition, they were prohibited from talking to the soccer team, which has a separate movie deal with Netflix. I watched this film on Disney-Plus streaming.

Dan Clendenin: dan@journeywithjesus.net