'The Rescue' A Review

 The Rescue is a documentary about the Thai soccer team trapped in a flooding cave in 2018 and the titular extraction. Archival footage, talking-head interviews, and reenactments make up the bulk of the doc with a few animated maps detailing the space and scale of the cave. The film focuses on the predominately UK based cave diving team which, due to their expertise, executed the bulk of the diving portion of the rescue. The survivors themselves aren't heard from as the rights to their story were sold separately to Netflix.

Edited and scored similar to The Cove the film has the pacing and dynamism of a thriller, with mysteries, close calls, a pumping score. It's an edge-of-your-seat ride even though most will already know the outcome. The subjects- mostly the cave divers but some Thai officials and military- all have a startling clarity and magnetism. The cave divers particularly are these odd, gangly, loners who have this uber-specific somewhat bizarre past time which makes them, in essence, the only ones who can do this particular job. And you get the sense in interviews as they talk a little bit about their interest in cave diving that there is some, if not outright spiritual perhaps cosmic, turning of the wheel happening here that put them in that cave. This is underscored and echoed by some of the spiritual connections the Thai people have to the cave itself and the surrounding mountains as well as a fortuitous visit from a holy man. This is not made particularly overt by the filmmakers but it is certainly there and it is quite powerful. There is a sense as the movie rolls along of Purpose. But that aside the simple mechanics of the endeavor are quite fascinating and just the succinct relaying of that story through people that were there is incredibly impactful.

Absolutely thrilling, unquestionably inspiring, and ultimately the celebration of international community(the Thai government and military ran the rescue operation but had many of their citizens volunteer as well as assistance from multiple countries in various capacities).

Currently streaming on Disney+.

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