You remember that summer in 2010. Everyone was glued to the news. For 69 days, the entire world stopped to look at a small patch of the Atacama Desert in Chile. When The 33 hit theaters in 2015, it had a massive job to do. How do you take a story where the ending is already famous and make it feel like a thriller?
Honestly, the movie gets a lot right, but it also glosses over the grit. Directed by Patricia Riggen, it stars Antonio Banderas as "Super Mario" Sepúlveda. He's the face of the group. The charismatic leader. But if you talk to the actual miners today, the reality was a lot messier than Hollywood’s polished version.
It wasn't just about survival. It was about the psychological collapse of men living in 90% humidity and 90-degree heat.
What The 33 actually got right (and where it blinked)
The film captures the claustrophobia perfectly. When that rock falls—a massive piece of diorite twice the mass of the Empire State Building—it’s terrifying. That actually happened. The mountain "shifted." It didn't just cave in; it settled like a closing jaw.
In the movie, we see the men splitting a tiny tin of tuna. Every two days, they ate a teaspoon. That’s fact. They were living on a diet that would kill most people within weeks, yet they managed to keep their discipline. Mario Sepúlveda really did use humor to keep them from spiraling into madness.
But here’s what the movie skips.
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The "shift" wasn't just physical. It was social. By the time they were rescued, the men were deeply divided. There were lawsuits. There were arguments over who would get the movie rights (ironic, right?). The "33" weren't always a band of brothers; they were 33 traumatized individuals trying to figure out how to survive each other as much as the mine.
The technical nightmare of the Palomas
The film shows the "Palomas"—the small capsules used to send supplies down. This part is fascinating. In real life, the engineers at the surface, led by André Sougarret (played by Gabriel Byrne), had to invent a logistics system on the fly.
They weren't just sending sandwiches. They were sending:
- Specially designed medicine.
- Miniature projectors so the men could watch football matches.
- Antidepressants (a detail the movie stays a bit quiet about).
- High-tech fiber optic cables for video calls.
The rescue wasn't just a miracle; it was a billion-dollar engineering feat. NASA got involved. The Chilean Navy built the Fénix capsule. It was a global "all-hands-on-deck" moment that we rarely see anymore.
Why the Atacama Desert is the real villain
If you've ever been to northern Chile, you know it's a moonscape. It’s the driest place on Earth. The movie The 33 uses the landscape well, but it can’t quite convey the smell. Imagine 33 men who haven't bathed in two months, living in a humid hole with limited ventilation and a "bathroom" area that was just a remote gallery.
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The heat was constant.
Mario Sepúlveda mentioned in later interviews that the darkness was heavy. It felt like a physical weight. The movie uses cinematic lighting—naturally, because we need to see the actors' faces—but the reality was near-pitch blackness for most of the day to save headlamp batteries.
The fallout no one talks about
The movie ends with the triumphant rescue. Everyone goes home. The music swells.
But the "happily ever after" didn't really happen for the real 33. Most of them struggled with severe PTSD. Some couldn't work again. The fame was a double-edged sword. People expected them to be rich, but the legal battles over the mine’s negligence dragged on for years.
In 2023, the Chilean Supreme Court finally ruled that the government had to pay a settlement to the miners. It took over a decade. That’s a long time to wait for justice when you’ve already spent 69 days buried alive.
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Is The 33 still worth a watch?
Yes.
Despite the Hollywood tropes, it’s a solid tribute to human endurance. James Horner’s score—one of his last before he passed away—is hauntingly beautiful. It captures the Andean spirit without feeling like a caricature.
If you’re watching it for the first time, look past the Banderas charisma. Look at the faces of the actors playing the "forgotten" miners. That’s where the real story lives. It’s in the quiet moments of desperation when they thought the drill had missed them for the tenth time.
How to learn more about the real San José rescue
If you’ve watched The 33 and want the raw, unedited version of events, there are better ways to get the full picture than just re-watching the film.
- Read "Deep Down Dark" by Héctor Tobar. This is the definitive book. Tobar was given exclusive access to the miners’ stories. It’s much more visceral than the movie. It covers the "suicide pact" they almost made and the religious visions some experienced.
- Research the Fénix 2 capsule. You can actually see one of the original rescue capsules in the Museo Regional de Atacama in Copiapó. Seeing how small that tube is in person makes you realize how terrifying the ride up really was. It was only about 21 inches wide.
- Check out the "33 Men" documentary. There are several Chilean-produced documentaries that feature the actual footage from the bottom of the mine. The grainy, low-res video of the men singing the national anthem is far more moving than any big-budget recreation.
- Follow the miners' current lives. Many of them are active on social media or give talks. Mario Sepúlveda remains a public figure, often working in motivational speaking, though he’s stayed humble about the experience.
The story of The 33 is a reminder that while movies give us the hero's journey, the real world gives us the survivor's struggle. Both are worth remembering.
Actionable Insight: If you're looking for a deep dive into the psychological side of survival, pair your viewing of the movie with Héctor Tobar’s book. It fills in the gaps that a PG-13 rating simply couldn't touch, specifically regarding the complex "democracies" the men formed underground to stay sane. You'll walk away with a much deeper respect for what those men actually endured in the dark.