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The 33: Sentimentality and Terrific Performances, Latin American Style
by Sandra Olmsted
While sentimentality is often viewed as a distortion of reality in American culture, in The 33, director Patricia Riggen embraces a different cultural norm, popular in the Spanish-speaking world, of using sentimentality to heighten reality. She even throws in a little magical realism when the 33 men eat their last miniscule rations.
The Guadalajaran-born Riggen perfectly combines Hollywood storytelling style and the Latin American ethos in a crossover film that will satisfy both American and Spanish-speaking audiences. Riggen also gets powerful, realistic performances from her large ensemble cast, which includes both American and Latin American stars; and Lou Diamond Phillips gives an Oscar-worthy performance.
Based on Héctor Tobar’s book Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free, the film, The 33, recounts the true life events from Aug. 5 through Oct. 13, 2010 — 69 days — during which 33 miners were trapped 200 stories below the surface by a rock compared to two Empire State Buildings. Those who recall the news stories about the events won’t be surprised by the end; however, Riggen delves into the determination, faith, and perseverance of those above and below ground that made the miraculous ending possible.
With a formidable array of characters to introduce and differentiate, Riggen telegraphs something about several in the opening scenes. However, with a cast which includes the 33 men in the mine, their 300+ loved ones hoping for their miners’ salvation, and the government officials, mining experts, and mine owner’s employees, differentiating between the characters is always problematic.
Riggen give each of the featured characters enough personality so the audience can keep them straight, but lacks the time to truly develop every character beyond the stock characters. However, four hour wouldn’t been enough time to develop all the characters to the same level, and Riggen’s film hits only the two hour mark, and she and writers Mikko Alanne, Craig Borten, Michael Thomas, and Jose Rivera made wise and tough choices in condensing the events and characters.
After a quick establishment of the main characters, the miners’ camaraderie, and townspeople’s closeness, the new work day begins with the miners descending deep into the copper and gold mine. Don Lucho (Lou Diamond Philips) feels a personal responsibility for the safety of the men in his charge and tries to warn the owner’s overseer that the mine is unstable which results only in an increased production quota. The chaos and drama of the mine’s collapse rivals the emotional tenor and intensity of the D-Day Invasion in Saving Private Ryan although not as long. Once the men realize they are hopelessly trapped beneath the fallen “heart of the mountain,” the chaos ensues until Mario Sepúlveda (Antonio Banderas) emerges as a leader who can hold onto the hope of rescue for all of them.
Meanwhile on the surface, Maria Segovia (Juliette Binoche) lobbies the mining company officials and eventually Laurence Golborne (Rodrigo Santoro), the Minister of Mines, to make some attempt at rescue. Golborne already insisted to the Chilean president that mining company and the government simply not just wait a few days and announce all the men are dead without even attempting any kind of rescue. In response to Maria and the heartbreak he sees before him, Golborne pushes Andre Sougarret (Gabriel Byrne), the skeptical chief engineer, and many others to believe that there is hope that the miners are alive in the safety shelter and that there is way to save them.
In addition to Maria’s alcoholic brother Darío (Juan Pablo Raba), the 33 men include the nearly cliché assortment of men and storylines. Statistically, none of them should have ever made it out of a mine, which was never kept up to safety standards, yet the personal will of individuals, above and below, and ingenuity of the international community saved them.
The 33, a Warner Brothers release, is rated PG-13 for a disaster sequence and some language and runs 120 minutes. An inspiring and heartfelt film, The 33 opens in theaters Nov. 13, but screened at the St. Louis International Film Festival on Nov. 7.
