The ability to keep an audience engrossed in a film for nearly two-and-a-half hours is no easy feat, but if anyone is up to the task, it’s Ron Howard. The Apollo 13 director’s latest endeavor, Thirteen Lives, dramatizes the real-life story of the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue mission. The 18-day saga brought together heroes from all over the world who united to save a junior Thai soccer team, and their coach after heavy rainfall and flooding stranded them deep underground.
William Nicholson’s script (based on a story by Don MacPherson) pieces together the grand scale of the mission and the timeline of events. The focus is primarily on the British divers whose expertise was crucial in bringing everyone out alive. Still, this film is careful not to become another White savior cinematic trope for which Hollywood movies have infamously become known. Nicholson’s prior documentary experience came through in the meticulous details told not only through the diver’s eyes but that of the Thai Navy SEALs, Governor Narongsak (Sahajak Boonthanakit), water engineer Thanet (Nophand “Aon” Boonyai), and Chai’s (Pasakorn Hoyhon) mom (Pattrakorn Tungsupakul), who spends most of the movie desperately pleading with people to save her son.
Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Call Me by Your Name) is incredibly descriptive with his vision. The underwater scenes and tight cavernous spaces that the all-star cast is immersed in pull you into this claustrophobic, almost suffocating dimension that has you questioning how this miraculous rescue mission left anyone alive. Two lives were lost in the process – Saman Kunan, who died during the rescue attempt, and Beirut Pakbara, who later passed from an infection. Howard made it a point to honor the SEALs on screen.
The story of real-life divers Rick Stanton (Viggo Mortensen), Chris Jewell (Tom Bateman), John Volanthen (Colin Farrell), Jason Mallinson (Paul Gleeson), and Australian Dr. Richard Harris (Joel Edgerton), who joined the Thai Navy SEALs on their mission, was told through an ensemble narrative. Howard’s depiction of the events showcases everyone as a hero. While some backstories are more developed than others, enough is happening with the actors on screen to get the gist of where they’re coming from and what they’re struggling with on a personal level.
As pointed out during the film’s press conference, there were obvious logistical challenges with shooting in tight underwater spaces, so the actors ensured they were equipped for the job. While Farrell admitted that he couldn’t swim beforehand, and Bateman revealed that he was claustrophobic (after being cast), they all underwent the proper training and certification to pull off their stunts. Mortensen’s real-life counterpart, Rick Stanton, was also on set, serving as a technical advisor, providing all of the necessary elements needed to make each move as accurate and authentic as possible.
While the script was written in English, with the help of producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, Howard brought cultural context to a much larger story. Being factually and culturally accurate was important to everyone involved. Phathanavirangoon made sure the details you’d see in Southeast Asia were correctly portrayed on the screen.
Howard’s reveal of the events that passed during the 18-day saga unravels in an intense, heart-pounding string of events. The film details important facts about the rescue that put it all into perspective far greater than any news story ever did. While we all know the outcome, we’re still made to feel that the odds are impossible. It’s hard not to be invested in every scene, as each comes across with a sense of discovery and urgency.
Thirteen Lives is a timely retelling of this harrowing event with a not-so-hidden message about what can happen when people work together. At its heart, it’s a human story to which everyone can relate. The film’s collaborative message, both on screen and off, unites everyone in the idea that regardless of division, we have the power to do something miraculous when we join forces.
Thirteen Lives exemplifies selfless collaboration for the common good. It showcases the best of us. Reminding us that humans are capable of doing the right thing when they do it together is precisely the message the world needs right now.
Thirteen Lives is now in theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. It launches globally on Prime Video on August 5.
