"The Rescue": A Deep Dive Into the Best of the Human Condition
Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the New York premiere of "The Rescue," a National Geographic documentary detailing the harrowing cave rescue of the 13-member Thai Wild Boar soccer team, at the Central Park Conservancy Film Festival. The viewing experience was emotional, and though we now know that the Thai soccer team was safely retrieved, watching how the international team got them out was tense, with a strong sense that you're watching the impossible unfold right in front of your eyes.
After checking in, my plus one and I were handed a bag full of food, water, and "The Rescue" goodies, including beanies emblazoned with the film's title and postcards featuring artwork from the film by Thai artists. Since the festival showed the documentary outside on the lawn between Sheep Meadow and the 72nd Street Cross Drive, we were also handed a waterproof blanket and a foldable seat back, so we could sit comfortably.
Before the film opened, we were treated to opening remarks by Betsy Smith, the President and CEO of the Central Park Conservancy, who thanked us for being there and enjoying the park. Then, we were introduced to the directors, husband and wife duo, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. We learned that in addition to the film being screened for the first time in New York, tonight's "The Rescue" screening also marked a NYC homecoming for Vasarhelyi, who is a native New Yorker.
Then, the film started.
"The Rescue" Film Review
"The Rescue" manages to tell a heart-wrenching thriller of a tale, despite the news media heavily covering the Thai soccer players incident back in June and July of 2018. Through exclusive interviews with the daring cave divers led by British volunteers Rick Stanton and John Volanthen, the Thai Navy SEALS, the American military, and the rescuers' friends and families, it felt like we got a never-before-seen glimpse into what led to them to embark on the risky plan to sedate the Thai soccer team and dive them out.
Through these interviews, we quickly learn that being a cave diver requires a specific type of person and a particular set of skills. The divers professed to being introverted loners, who were often bad at team sports. Despite all this, because cave diving is an extreme sport with few adherents, the divers called upon to carry out the rescue knew they may be some of the only people on earth capable of saving the soccer team from certain death.
However, with every day threatening monsoon weather and Thai engineers doing their best to pump out as much water as possible from the cave system, it's a race against time for the divers to recover the soccer team alive, where every moment makes the rescue's success increasingly unlikely. All this trepidation is encapsulated in the moment that these unlikely rescuers set eyes on the Thai soccer team, and it's electrifying - you feel the mix of relief, elation, and fear as Rick and John realize the full scope of how impossible their mission truly is.
Thankfully, Dr. Harry Harris was able to come up with a bold plan to get the team out: A combination of using full-face air masks and anesthetics that would knock out the team, so the divers could get them out without the team members struggling due to panic. However, as each day draws to a close, the viewer feels their hope fade, as they wonder at the strength of each Thai soccer team member as they continue to subsist on dwindling air and food supplies.
If you're reading this and wondering why I haven't dwelt much on the Thai soccer team members themselves, that's a great question that I wish I could answer more fully. According to IndieWire, piecing together the Tham Luang cave rescue story was a painful process for the filmmakers and involved a struggle over rights and footage. While National Geographic had secured the rights to the divers' stories, Netflix had gotten the rights to the Thai soccer team themselves and are developing that perspective into a limited series called "Thirteen Lives." Thus, a more in-depth look into the Thai point of view in this story is sorely missing, and I wish there was a way it could have been incorporated.
Nevertheless, "The Rescue" is still a thoroughly engaging watch that reminds you of the power humanity has if we all decide that a particular issue is worth our time and dedication to solve. The more of the documentary you watch, the more it's clear what an international effort the Tham Luang cave rescue was, and how much self-sacrifice and morality was at play for the rescue team members. I'm thankful to have been a witness to this touching portrait of the best of human perseverance.
"The Rescue" is set for wide release on October 8, 2021. For more reviews, commentary, and entertainment news, check out Enstarz for more!
