Relatives built an encampment by the mine site, refusing to leave until the last man was retrieved. They erected shrines, held Mass, and marshaled further support from the government. Finally, after 69 days underground, all of the miners were rescued.
Advertisement
Nearly as soon as the 33 men trapped in the San José mine in Chile were rescued, the disputes and recriminations over potential film adaptations of their extraordinary ordeal began to surface too; for low-paid men in a normally ignored industry in a marginalised part of the world, unwittingly caught up in a genuinely astonishing feat of derring-do that commandeered the world’s media for weeks, an unthought-of opportunity had opened up. The focus takes a few wild turns, such as the hair-pulling rivalry between the wife and mistress of one worker over whom he will love more when he’s released.
Checco Varese: It’s the same as anything else. The only difference in any other marriage is I’m getting paid for it. The second thing is, it’s fascinating to work with somebody in as close and creative a relationship as this twenty-four-seven. In a movie, you’re married to the director anyway. Riggen said she replied, “We’re not that different”. It just didn’t occur to me, but I knew I had to be in film.
Varese: I would be the same for any director. It’s following the lead of somebody’s vision and trying to make that vision go through. We had to figure out how to create these things in the mine.
Half a dozen of the trapped miners are given their own dramatic backstories, which keep the narrative chugging along. Your movie is about two hours long. When you were talking to the miners about what to portray in that window, what was important to you, and what was important to the miners? “The only command I had was in my heart, to tell this story from the point of view of the miners and learn what they had to say”.
There’s Super Mario to look to, but there’s also The Pastor, who offers spiritual guidance; The Bolivian, who’s the butt of many jokes from the 32 other native Chileans; The Elvis Impersonator and so on. That’s why they survived. The improbable circumstances behind their (historical spoiler alert) survival is a natural for cinematic treatment, one that could be inspirational both as an example of resilient faith and as a case study in institutional determination.
“When you’re standing in front of those 33 guys, there’s something special in the air”, Riggen said.
Q: Were you affected by the shoot, psychologically?
Riggen gives all her players ample time in the limelight, whether they are veteran stars or walk-on performers. We are very passionate and emotional people. And that’s what I brought to the movie besides the big action sequences. And family and faith in God that I just feel very positive to transmit to the world. At times, watching them go toe-to-toe in emotionally charged scenes felt like watching a play.
We talk a lot about diversity on this show. That’s partly because the actors who play them are so appealing. Do you feel pigeon-holed? The crew itself sees warning signs of unsafe working conditions, but managers tell them to mind their business.
This is Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, and Alejandro Iñárritu. “So in a sense, I don’t think it was hard for me to capture the essence of the Chileans”.
Riggen: People don’t believe, ever. And we have to make a change very quickly because we’re kind of fed up.
And we shouldn’t forget the hopeless alcoholic (Juan Pablo Raba), whose older sister (Juliette Binoche) will become a thorn in the side of the greedy mining corporation.
Shocked every single day.
Advertisement
When it becomes apparent that the mining company is going to leave the men to die, the miners’ womenfolk set up a camp outside the perimeter to protest until something is done. “My heritage gives me many advantages”.
