Remember the rallying international drama of the 2018 Thai cave rescue? When 12 young football players and their assistant coach became trapped underground in rising monsoon waters, the world watched on with bated breath.
On July 10, we finally felt that mixture of triumphant relief and sadness at the survival of all personnel, except for the tragic loss of two Navy SEAL rescuers. By October of the same year, a Thai production about the rescuer’s experiences in Tham Luang Nang Non cave was already shooting. The film was released quite quickly in 2019 and is currently screening in select Australian cinemas.
Filmed on location in Thailand, with some scenes taking place in the actual cave in question, The Cave is directed by Tom Waller with a cast that includes real rescue divers playing themselves. Authenticity is an obvious aim here, with titles in the trailer below praising “the incredible true story…of ordinary men and women who risked their lives and became heroes”.
If its documentary feel doesn’t appeal to you, just hang tight: we’re expecting multiple other productions based on the rescue, including a Netflix series presenting the young football team’s perspective and a Ron Howard epic filming on the Gold Coast entitled Thirteen Lives.
Before we all get overexposed to this true tale of bravery and survival, your chance to see this first fictionalisation of the incident is by visiting a cinema near you—provided you’re not in a locked-down city, like most of Australia.
By using our handy link below, you can select session times to see The Cave in non-locked down cities. If you live elsewhere you may be trapped in your own home-cave for now, until the film is released on demand or to a streaming service. What an ironic predicament.
