The new Netflix documentary The Trapped 13: How We Survived The Thai Cave is centred around the real-life rescue mission of the thirteen soccer players. It features the entire youth soccer team telling the story of getting trapped, losing all hope and finally getting rescued.
The documentary is directed by Pailin Wedel and has a running time of one hour and forty-three minutes.
The Trapped 13: How We Survived The Thai Cave Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers
The documentary starts off with the events before the Thai Cave rescue. It introduces us to the thirteen soccer players, along with their 24-year-old coach.
In a shifting series of interviews, the Thai Cave survivors revisit the day when they were trapped inside the cave. Furthermore, they start by mentioning all the significant details that led them inside the Tham Luang Cave that particular day. At first, it seemed like a fun decision for their leisure activity which eventually turned into a story of human grit and persistence.
Like several other adaptations of the real-life incident, the documentary does a good job of educating about the dimensions of the cave and the factors surrounding it. Like, as the irregular rainy season, its length and the various causes behind getting stuck in the first place.
As compared to other renditions, the documentary is more innate and natural, rather than the previous takes. However, there is a side-by-side recreation for visual purposes.
The match-cut sequences generate most of the thrill in the doc and successfully pull you into the chain of events. At one point, you can even relate to the claustrophobia of getting stuck and the doom of finding no way out. The tone of the documentary uplifts when the team of rescuers arrive inside the cave. The adrenaline rush of the first moment of contact is unmatchable and almost feels like the peak moment of the documentary.
The Trapped 13: How We Survived The Thai Cave, also offers insight into the reactions of their family members, by constantly switching back and forth to real-life footage. This also adds a personal element of affection, which makes us root for the soccer players even more.
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Usually, when you know the outcome of a story (especially a rescue documentary like this), the narrative can tend to become predictable and cliched. However, The Trapped 13: How We Survived The Thai Cave manages to break through the convention and hooks you throughout the rescue mission.
For me personally, the moment where all the kids discuss their favourite meal and throw away leftovers is one of the best moments, as it showcases the first human emotion after getting trapped- regret.
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You can’t help but be in awe of the mindset that the kids display inside the cave. Even though there are moments of wavering hope, the constant spirit for seeing the better side is inspirational.
Finally, the background score of the doc is top-notch in places and perfectly encapsulates the lows and highs of the documentary. Furthermore, it also makes up for the goosebump-worthy climax.
The Trapped 13: How We Survived The Thai Cave Final Thoughts
The documentary is a must-watch and will leave you inspired by the real-life depiction of the rescue mission. There are several thrilling and compelling moments, followed by the enthralling wrap-up.
You can watch the documentary on Netflix.
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