Netflix has dropped the first teaser for Beyond Society, a new documentary series that looks at what happened after the 1972 Andes plane crash. The series picks up where the 2023 film Society of the Snow left off. While the movie showed how survivors stayed alive for 72 days in freezing mountains, this documentary focuses on the years that followed the rescue.
The teaser gives viewers a first look at interviews with the actual survivors and family members of those who died. It also includes conversations with the authors and directors who turned this tragedy into books and films.
Beyond Society arrives on December 18, 2026 on Netflix worldwide. Before that, it will have its global premiere in Official Selection at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
The Crash That Shocked the World
On October 13, 1972, a chartered plane carrying the Old Christians Club rugby team from Uruguay left Montevideo for Santiago, Chile. The flight had 45 people on board, including team members, their friends and family.
Bad weather forced a layover in Mendoza, Argentina. When the plane took off again, the pilot made a mistake. He thought the plane had passed the mountains and started descending too early. The aircraft hit a mountain ridge at 11,500 feet and slid into a glacier valley.
Twelve passengers died in the crash or soon after. The remaining 33 were stranded in one of the most remote and hostile places on Earth. Over the next 72 days, more people died from injuries, cold and starvation. Only 16 survived until rescuers found them.
The survivors had to eat the bodies of those who died to stay alive. This fact became a major part of the public discussion when they returned home.
What the Teaser Reveals
The teaser opens with one survivor saying: “When we crashed into the mountains, it was like going through a portal into another dimension”.
The documentary shows that life after rescue was not easy. The survivors had to live in the same neighborhoods as the families of those who did not make it back. They could not escape the constant reminders of what happened.
The media attention was overwhelming. One of the first questions reporters asked was about cannibalism. Books started coming out about the crash, one after another. A survivor says in the teaser: “One book after another. They never let it rest. We can never leave our grief behind”.
The teaser also shows that Society of the Snow helped some families heal. For the first time in years, the daughter of a passenger who died was able to understand what her mother went through.
Thirty years after the crash, the rugby team finally played the match they never got to play.
A Different Kind of Documentary
Beyond Society is a three-part documentary series. It is directed by Carlos Torres and co-created by Torres and J.A. Bayona. Bayona also directed Society of the Snow. The producers are Bayona, Sandra Hermida and Belén Atienza.
The series brings together survivors, victims’ families, authors and filmmakers in one project. This is the first time all these voices appear together.
The participants include:
- Pablo Vierci, author of the book Society of the Snow
- Piers Paul Read, author of Alive
- Frank Marshall, who directed the 1993 film Alive
- J.A. Bayona, who directed Society of the Snow
Bayona and much of the cast from Society of the Snow traveled to the Valley of Tears, the actual crash site in the Andes. This created a meeting between the real survivors and the actors who played them.
Bayona explained the idea behind the series: “The idea for Beyond Society came about when we decided to travel to the Valley of Tears with the film’s cast. None of the actors had been there before, and we felt it was the best way to bring a very important chapter of our lives to a close and to thank those who had placed their trust in us to tell their story”.
The Story After the Rescue
Society of the Snow was a huge success for Netflix. The film spent 12 weeks in the global Top 10. It had over 96 million views and 235 million hours watched. In its first 11 days, it drew 51 million views. It placed in Netflix’s Top 10 in 93 countries.
The film won 12 Goya Awards and received two Academy Award nominations, including Best International Feature Film. It also won the Audience Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
Beyond Society explores what happened after the rescue, when the survivors returned home and reunited with the families of those who did not make it back. The series traces the 50 years following the tragedy, showing how that flight forever marked the lives of a community.
Netflix describes the series as a gripping account that explores how one rebuilds a life after such a tragedy.
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Global Release Information
Beyond Society will premiere globally on Netflix on December 18, 2026. The series will be available for streaming in all regions where Netflix operates, including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India and worldwide.
Before the Netflix release, the documentary will have its global premiere in Official Selection at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. This festival appearance gives the series a major platform before it reaches general audiences.
The documentary consists of three episodes, with testimony and archival material forming the foundation of its storytelling.
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