Movie on sensational cave rescue all set to hit screens nationwide

[webfact]

Movie on sensational cave rescue all set to hit screens nationwide

By Kittipong Thavevong
Special to The Nation

 

The director during the film’s shooting

 

The first movie about last year’s dramatic rescue operation at the Tham Luang cave complex in Chiang Rai province will be screened nationwide from Thursday (November 21).

 

“The Cave, Nang Non” is based on “the untold true story of the rescue mission that captivated the world”, according to the movie’s promotional poster.

 

“It was a real miracle that needed to be made into a movie,” Thai-Irish filmmaker Tom Waller, the movie’s director, told a press conference during the “gala premiere” event for the film held at SF World Cinema, Central World, on Monday night (November 18).

 

Waller said it tells the story of many unsung heroes involved in the “remarkable mission” in addition to the divers and experts from all over the world who actually took part in the operation to safely bring out the 12 young Wild Boars footballers and their coach from the flooded cave. Those heroes included local farmers who allowed their rice fields to be flooded by a massive amount of water pumped out of the cave, without asking for compensation.

 

Director Tom Waller, second left, and rescue diver Jim Warny

 

For the director, the people involved helped “create a miracle” despite all odds at that time.

 

For 18 days between late June to early July 2018, the dramatic developments at Tham Luang cave complex – which is part of the legend-inspiring Nang Non Mountain – managed to divert global attention away from the FIFA World Cup football tournament going on at the time.

 

The drama began with the 13 entering the neighbourhood cave after a routine practice and rising rainwater forcing them to head deeper into the cave – a few kilometres from the entrance. In the end, the rescue mission was successful and became, for many people, the best feel-good story last year.

 

“I am very proud that the first movie about the Tham Luang rescue is a Thai film,” the director said, adding that the production team was made up of Thais and many foreigners.

 

Waller gained much praise for directing “The Last Executioner”, a 2014 movie that is based on a true story of Thailand’s last gun executioner Chavoret Jaruboon.

 

A main character in his latest film is Belgian rescue diver Jim Warny, who took part in the rescue mission last year. He plays himself in the movie, which is his first.

 

The film’s portrayal of the cave rescue is “100 per cent real” and not dramatised, the diver pointed out.

 

The director said Warny, who took part in the operation to get the coach out of the flooded cave after the 12 boys were rescued, provided him with details of the mission.

 

In addition to Warny, many people actually involved in the Tham Luang drama also play themselves in the movie, including Finnish diver Mikko Paasi, Chinese cave diving instructor Tan Xiaolong, and former village head Noppadon Niyomka, who sent his turbo-jet “King Naga” pumps to help with the efforts to draw water from the cave.

 

Veteran actor Nirut Sirijanya, right, plays a Thai government minister who sought help from UK-based cave diving experts.

 

“The Cave, Nang Non” is one of half a dozen films and documentaries dedicated to the 2018 rescue mission.

 

The movie recounts actual events that many people who closely followed the developments were familiar with. All major developments are in the movie, including the death of former Navy SEAL diver Saman Kunan while installing oxygen cylinders along the rescue route inside the cave.

 

A large part of “The Cave, Nang Non” tells what happened inside the cave during the tense operation to bring all the trapped 13 out – something many people wanted to know. It was deemed too risky to have the 13 dive in the inundated sections of the cave, so they were brought out while in a sedated state or falling unconscious. This part of the rescue mission seems to be a main highlight in the movie.

 

A scene from the movie.

 

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30378544

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-11-20

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[JoePai]

Hmmmn too late, spoiler alert  ????

[Cadbury]

Does it include PM Prayut making a cameo appearance doing an inspection of the rescue site with his entourage and visiting the kitchen to give cooking advice.

[Orton Rd]

All that hysteria, fuss and expense over a few trapped kids. More get slaughtered on the roads every day of the year and nothing gets done about that. I will not be watching it.

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

All that hysteria, fuss and expense over a few trapped kids. More get slaughtered on the roads every day of the year and nothing gets done about that. I will not be watching it.

Why the miserable comment?...  This was an incredible event and captivated a global audience. 

From what most expected to be heartbreaking tragedy arose a miraculous rescue operation, involving an international rescue operation and the best of humanity. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2019 by richard_smith237

[Thailand]

I think having basically watched this incredible story unfold "live" over many days and being the first thing searched for most days during the event a movie is not going to have the same impact. 

But for those who did not have the privilege to see and hear this amazing story happen before our very eyes as I and many others did then it may be worth a view.

[canuckamuck]

It was the best story in my 15 years here, very positive, the very best elements humanity on display. Courage, bravery, tenacity, cooperation. How could you not be interested in watching it?

[Odin Norway]

Better to watch the documentary.Its not like you dont know how it is ending

[wgdanson]

Was it filmed in the original location?

[Orton Rd]

58 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Why the miserable comment?...  This was an incredible event and captivated a global audience. 

From what most expected to be heartbreaking tragedy arose a miraculous rescue operation, involving an international rescue operation and the best of humanity. 

 

 

 

 

 

No it was an over sentimentalized soap opera that had all the elements loved in them, young innocents, danger, a so called hero whose fault it mainly was, the weather and farmers unselfishly giving up the fields. Even had the clock ticking down while the air ran out, all ghoulishly covered more for entertainment than informing news coverage. Pity nobody gives a toss about rescuing the poor kids killed on the roads daily, but there is no glamour in covering that.

[Orton Rd]

55 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

It was the best story in my 15 years here, very positive, the very best elements humanity on display. Courage, bravery, tenacity, cooperation. How could you not be interested in watching it?

Or incompetence, stupidity, reckless disregard for safety and being dug out of a hole, literary, by the foreign help, without which they would all have died.

[Scot123]

There are some really nasty, bitter and twisted people on this site and I mean really bitter. It will be interesting if it is truthful in its depiction of events surrounding this unbelievable rescue led by Western skilled cave divers or as one suggested a Thai soap and propaganda movie. Being in the UK now I will wait for the reviews. 

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Or incompetence, stupidity, reckless disregard for safety and being dug out of a hole, literary, by the foreign help, without which they would all have died.

The work they did to prevent rain run-off into the cave systems and prevent the water levels rising further was an incredible accomplishment.

Try watching a couple of the documentaries, you may find your cynicism reversed. 

 

Yes, of course it was a media wet-dream, from the initial disregard for safety to the coming together of international experts and local man power, army engineers and a ballsy plan to evacuate 12 boys and 1 coach.

 

I agree with your comments regarding road safety in Thailand which needs to be addressed, but that's kind of beside the point, that other issues exist does not detract from what an incredible, miraculous rescue this was. 

 

 

[Benmart]

14 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

No it was an over sentimentalized soap opera that had all the elements loved in them, young innocents, danger, a so called hero whose fault it mainly was, the weather and farmers unselfishly giving up the fields. Even had the clock ticking down while the air ran out, all ghoulishly covered more for entertainment than informing news coverage. Pity nobody gives a toss about rescuing the poor kids killed on the roads daily, but there is no glamour in covering that.

People killed on the roads do not generate profit, nor beat the drums of nationalism that is at every corner. These types of films profit from events, that on the surface are humanistic in nature, but whose bottom lines are cash and prestige at the next film festival. The bodies laying dead and smashed on the roadway "killing fields" don't garner much notice.

[justin case]

is this worth time & money ?

 

they were dead for thai people, as even they have a navy, they needed farang experts to get them out as they are not able to even tie their own shoe laces

 

 

[saminoz]

Will Unsworth and Mr Tesla get their mention as well?

[Papafarang]

Do the 17 boys need to re live the advent

fool hardy as it was pleased that they are safe and sound now 

[DefaultName]

I hope some of the profits go to the family of the volunteer who died.

[GTgrizzly]

How sad, that some of the comments on this issue are sooo negative

I'm sure if it was your children in that cave you may have had a different attitude ( if you were allowed to breed that is )

Is your life that sad that those concerned needed to post such negative comments

Please god, don't let me end up like these sad excuses for human beings

[Don Mega]

is this the same one I watched on netflix last month ?

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, Don Mega said:

is this the same one I watched on netflix last month ?

Go on... throw caution to the wind and take a wild guess !!! 

[bannork]

On 11/20/2019 at 4:14 PM, Orton Rd said:

All that hysteria, fuss and expense over a few trapped kids. More get slaughtered on the roads every day of the year and nothing gets done about that. I will not be watching it.

Sometimes you are plain miserable. Everyone knows about the road deaths but there is no drama in that, it's simply tragic. This is about a rescue under almost insuperable conditions of kids who hadn't given up hope in spite of spending 10 days in darkness with the minimum of food and fresh water.

Like millions of others, I never expected the divers to get them all out alive in one piece. It was an extraordinary success story.