On 23 June 2018, a rainy Saturday, a group of twelve young boys from a local junior football team named the Wild Boars and their assistant coach, Ekkaphon Chanthawong set out to explore the Tham Luang cave, which is situated near the village of Pong Pha in northern Thailand.
However, nothing prepared them for the series of unfortunate events that would happen not long after.
To their horror, the majority of the cave was soon flooded by rainwater that seeped through the crevices. The entire team soon found themselves stranded on a small segment of the karstic cave system. Knowing that there was no escape due to the rain, the twelve boys and their coach were forced to stay huddled together on a small, flat rock roughly 3 km from the cave’s entrance.
Back in the local village in Northern Thailand, Mae Sai, the news of the missing football team soon shook the entire community. Everybody in the village knew how dangerous Tham Luang cave was during the monsoon period. People have gone missing before, and there was hardly any way out besides waiting for the water levels to decrease…
But how was that possible? The rainfall was projected to continue for the next two weeks.
Hurriedly, the Thai Navy SEALs were deployed into the cave to rescue the boys. However, a few hours later, they emerged.
It was much more difficult than expected.
The cave was deep, narrow and extremely long. Coupled with the strong water currents, it seemed like an impossible task.
Left with no other options, volunteer divers from all over the world were called in to attempt at rescuing the boys. After an arduous close-to-6 hours long journey through narrow passages and muddy waters, British divers John Volanthen and Rick Stanton found the group alive on 2 July, 2018.
Despite locating the boys and their coach, the two divers were far from finding a feasible way to carry out the rescue mission, for the cave was made up of numerous passages that could barely fit one person — and they were all underwater.
Nonetheless, John Volanthen and Rick Stanton were far from calling it quits. After days and nights of figuring out the diving path, they managed to come up with a slightly more viable—but extremely risky—- solution amidst tight time constraints and pressures from the Thai government. It was their last bet, and their only hope….This leads to the question: Will they eventually succeed?
Adapted from the Tham Luang cave rescue in 2018,“Thirteen Lives” is a documentary/movie directed and produced by Ron Howard. Through depicting the harrowing and extremely difficult cave rescue mission, this 2 hour and 30 minutes long film wonderfully sums up the 18 days of terrifying anticipation. By conveying the intended emotions of exhilaration and shock to the audience, it helps them to immerse themselves in the scenes of the real-life event.
Additionally, there were certain features of the documentary/movie that helped to enhance various aspects of the movies. These include the portrayal of Thailand’s religious backgrounds and culture, as well as the massive scale of efforts that ultimately contributed to the success of the rescue mission.
Over 90% of Thais are followers of Theravada Buddhism, which is the origin of the cohesion of Thai society. The Tham Luang cave is known as the Cave of the Sleeping Princess to locals, as many believe that it is her blood that became the waters that flow through the cave, while the surrounding mountains mimic the outline of her figure.
The Thai culture formed another underlying theme in the film, which was revisited when monks blessed parents and relatives of the missing boys. Villagers also gathered together and prayed for the safety of the boys, showing a sense of collectivism within the community. While being trapped deep in the cave, the boys’ football coach, who was a former monk, taught the boys how to pray and meditate in order to conserve their energy. He asked the boys to write letters to their loved ones in order to assure them of their safety.
One of the boy’s letter to his parents:
Mum, Dad, Nick loves Mum and Dad and siblings. If I can get out, Mum, Dad please bring me mookata (BBQ) to eat. Nick loves Mum, Dad and siblings [drawing of a heart].
Additionally, due to the monsoon season, the rain was extremely heavy, causing water to incessantly seep into Tham Luang cave. Therefore, diverting the rainwater proved to be extremely crucial in reducing the strength of the water currents and thus ensuring the success of the rescue mission. Thanet Natisri, a creative water engineer, led the effort to divert rainwater from inside the mountain and tunnels, which, if not stopped, would soon drown the boys in the cave. This, coupled with scenes of the boys supporting each other emotionally in order to remain hopeful of the situation, further added on to the overall comprehensiveness of this film.The constant panning of cameras and feature of multiple different perspectives of stakeholders involved in the rescue mission further is what makes “Thirteen Lives” memorable and attention-grabbing.
The entire process was hard on everyone, with Governor Narongsak under constant pressure from the parliament and volunteer divers from all over the world having to push their limits over and over again. Not to mention, the local villagers were constantly on the edge, eager to know of the boys’ whereabouts.
Nonetheless, with the collective effort of over 1,000 people locally and worldwide, the Tham Luang Cave rescue mission was carried out smoothly and the entire Wild Boars Youth Football Team was successively escorted to safety.
To sum up, “Thirteen Lives” perfectly represents the commonly seen quote, “There is always strength in numbers” by encapsulating the theme of collectivism and weaving it seamlessly through how the account of this incident unfolded. The efforts of villagers who were willing to sacrifice their crops in order for rainwater to be diverted into the fields, as well as those who had been silently praying for the boys’ safety all along were similarly credited.
“Thirteen Lives” is something that hits extra close to home with its adaptation of the real-life rescue mission, evoking strong feelings of empathy in its audience by allowing them to place themselves in the shoes of the victims.
Condolences to those who have sacrificed their lives during the rescue mission:
Saman Kunan, a former Royal Thai Navy SEAL, and Petty Officer Beirut Pakbara, a former Thai Navy SEAL.
Written by: Ren Yingqi (22S6J)
Edited by: Peh Jia Qian (22S6B), Lee Ren Kai Artemus (22A15)
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