Directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

The story that gripped the entire world in 2018 the subject of this new documentary film from the makers of Oscar-winning documentary feature, Free Solo. Though The Rescue doesn’t need a recommendation, it is absolutely deserving of one.

Utilising never-before-seen material and featuring exclusive interviews, The Rescue details the search and rescue operations to locate and save 12 young boys and their coach who became trapped deep inside one of Thailand’s longest caves after it flooded. 

With streaming giant Netflix acquiring the rights to tell this story from the experiences of the young soccer team, The Rescue is told from the perspectives of the several cave divers who collaborated with Royal Thai Navy SEALs and U.S Special Forces to turn what truly was mission impossible into an enormously successful one. Every piece of detail pertaining to how the personnel involved will search for the group of boys and then plan the perilous rescue is nothing short of astonishing. While I could easily further elaborate about these unfathomable operation details and the ingenious engineering involved, it’s simply best you hear and see it all for yourself. Rather, it is worth mentioning and commending this documentary for the personal touches it adds to the subjects being interviewed and for profoundly highlighting the inevitable moral duty they felt and were accountable for. Whether it be cave divers relied upon for rescuing trapped children or a State Politician during a global pandemic, there are certain jobs, responsibilities and decisions to be made that nobody would truly desire yet must be done in order to save lives! To heighten the already extreme urgency of the mission, these cave divers face a race against time with relentless rainfall due to arrive within days. It’s hard to believe this dire situation will be so much worse if they don’t succeed quickly enough.

The Rescue is full of emotion and is an incredible and inspiring real-life testament to what people of various ethnicities, religious beliefs, you name it, can successfully accomplish when there is unity and common humanity at bay.

The Rescue is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from November 18.

Moviedoc thanks Madman for the screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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