Imagine yourself in a situation where you’re stuck in a closed room for days. It will scare the hell out of you! The movie “Thirteen Lives” will highlight this phenomenon for you in reality. This film talks about the real-life incident of the Tham Laung Cave Rescue in the year 2018, wherein twelve boys were trapped in the cave due to sudden flooding and heavy rains. The incident took place in Northern Thailand, and guess what? These young men couldn’t help themselves since every exit was closed off. The film will provide you with all the little details that began from the very beginning of this deadly incident. Moreover, since it is a Ron Howard directorial, every scene was very heartbreaking to watch since there wasn’t a single way to make contact with any one of them. The families of these children were terrified until international rescue teams began reaching out. According to the actual incident, it took around eighteen days to get them out of the cave. Apart from this, the whole cave was poorly structured. There were narrow corners and huge chambers built together. So it was almost impossible for the rescue teams to get in. Several men were affected badly, and this included deadly infections as well.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did ‘Thirteen Lives’ Proceed With The Tham Laung Cave Incident?
The Navy SEALs failed in their attempts too and it was difficult to guess the outcome in the beginning. Well, as the movie proceeds, you will understand that this case reached higher authorities as well. The divers were unable to get through because of the high water level. As they depicted, the narrow corners made it very difficult for them to navigate through. This incident was pretty alarming for those who were responsible for the search. Since they had no clue whether the boys were alive or not. Moreover, viewers will easily get to know that the heavy rains were not expected until July 2018. But, mysteriously, it started beforehand. Even a mountain expert was approached by Thanet Natisri, a water engineer from Bangkok. Furthermore, there are multiple volunteers from different countries, like Japan, China, and America.
The rescue teams pumped out as much water as they could. Because there were multiple sinkholes around the mountain, and the only way to stop its flooding was to exterminate the water level. Towards the beginning of the film, you will get to know more about our leading characters of the film. In reality, John Volanthen (Colin Farrell) and Richard Stanton (Viggo Mortensen) are the main characters as well. These men belong to the British Cave Rescue Council, and their arrival is not at all welcomed. At first, they looked like amateurs to all the other rescuers. This biographical survival film will make sure that you are moved to the core, as these men had to dive around two kilometers to even find a beginning from the cave mouth. Things turn out to be very difficult since they fail the first time they enter the cave. Along with this, viewers will be associated with several superstitions as well. According to the villagers, the sleeping princess, whose statue is visible throughout the movie, is the main reason behind this abrupt flooding as she trapped them with her tears.
Ending Explained: Were The 12 Boys Saved?
At this point in the movie, all the officials are pretty disturbed, with each passing minute the cave becomes extremely deadly for them since they can contract any infection or illness. Families have already begun relying on traditional customs to pray for the lives of their children. On day 10, John and Richard can reach the boys. It’s very painful for them to watch since these boys are very hungry and in pain. These heartbreaking incidents are very tough to watch, as they are fighting to survive, but there’s no food, and they’ve all been starving for the last ten days. But another fact about this incident would be their strength. Families were delighted to know about their children, and the fact that all of them were alive by this point was a miracle. By day 12, families are expecting answers from the governor. The SEALs were able to reach them, and now everyone expected their children to come out safely. The kids were offered food and other necessities to keep them alive.
Apart from this, the team has finally started their mission. The movie gives you a deeper insight into how the oxygen levels worked for them inside the cave. Their most experienced Thai Navy SEAL, Saman Gunan, passed away while conducting the rescue mission. And by this point, things had become even more complicated. Moreover, the kids will have to be sedated completely to ensure that they’re out safely. In this process, they managed to get one boy out using the respiratory methods, which required heavy sedation. Even though the boy stopped breathing for a minute, they were able to keep him alive. Now it’s the eighteenth day. Families have to begin praying and chanting as they ask for forgiveness from the sleeping princess. The whole extraction process took three to four days, but all the twelve boys and their coach were saved successfully by John and Richard and all the members from the rescue teams.
“Thirteen Lives” is a Biopic Rescue Film streaming on Amazon Prime Video with subtitles.
