I didn’t follow the true-life rescue story from 2018 that this doc covers. I remember it happening but also remember it just being another news story about people lost in a cave, in a mine, or down a well. I don’t mean to be TOO cynical or dismissive but there’s only so much tragedy you can watch… and there’s only so much credit you can give to 24/7 breahtless news coverage. All I really remember, besides a happy ending, was the dust-up between one of the rescue workers and Elon Musk (something not covered in this film).

I only watched this doc tonight because I watched the excellent narrative film version of the same events on Amazon Prime (Thirteen Lives). I was assured this would show that the Ron Howard movie wasn’t Hollywood-ing the story. And, for the most part, that’s quite true.

It was quite interesting that the doc actually went into more detail about the rescue workers. It gave us more background on the cave divers: Who they were as individuals, what their early lives were like, and the psychology this crazy sport requires. It also goes into more detail about the one casualty at the cave as well as the death of one of the diver’s fathers.

On the other hand, the narrative film actually provided more close-up detail on the tricky dive and actual rescue plan as it unfolded. It’s weird. The two movies flip the script with each showcases better what you’d expect the other to focus on.

Either way, this doc was good and goes into great detail, including interview footage with the divers, some Thai rescue workers, a member of the US military, and more. I was a little annoyed at all the re-enactments it was doing without attribution. Obviously no one was following these divers with a camera, but it was possible someone at the base camps was filming… were those scenes real or re-enacted? Does it matter?

Waving that away though, this is a solid doc that tells a great rescue story by slightly mad divers who are damn good at their job. Everyone on the rescue team were heroes and this doc (and that film) are great testaments to their courage.

Score: 86