'The 33' Digs Deep Into Faith, Personal Stories of Miraculous Chilean Miners
News cameras that documented the miraculous rescue of 33 Chilean miners buried 200 stories below ground for 69 days only scratched the surface of what really happened.
Five years after their rescue, "The 33" is a film that unearths the untold stories of faith, hope and love experienced by both the Chilean miners and their loved ones and rescuers above ground.
The new movie, which hits theaters Nov. 13, does not have the overt Christian themes present in recent faith-based box office hits like "Woodlawn" and "War Room." Still, the faith showcased in the big screen adaptation of the miners' true story is undeniable.
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"This movie is about being trapped and alone and facing death, but it is equally about having faith, and in a way, coming back to life," said "The 33" director Patricia Riggen to The Christian Post during a press junket for the film. "It's about rebirth and the strength of the human spirit, and so much more."
Riggen ensured that elements of the miners' faith were subtly woven throughout the film, like the Catholic Chilean miners acknowledging their region's virginal statue in prayer before heading into the dangerous mines, and showcasing how one miner became a pastor for the group.
"Every day when the miners drive in ... as Catholics, they make a little silent prayer because they put their life at risk every day," Riggen told CP. "It was beautiful to learn that they're different denominations, but they figured out a way to come together to pray."
Actor Lou Diamond Phillips, who plays a devout Christian miner named Luis "Don Lucho" Urzua, believes elements of faith can be found throughout every frame of the film.
"There is humanity, there is hope, there is inspiration and an absolute tribute to faith in every frame," Phillips said. "And because it is based on a true story, it can reinforce our belief in the human spirit."
"The 33" manages to dig deeper than the media headlines that emerged five years ago to uncover the faith of the families and rescuers who wouldn't give up on the idea that the lost miners were still alive. These elements of faith are an important theme throughout the movie, according to actor Antonio Banderas who portrays the leader of the miners, Mario "Super Mario" Sepúlveda.
"Faith is a religious concept, but I think it's instrumental for a reason. The faith of all of those women, the politician who became a human, and those miners," said Banderas to CP. "How many people have died that we don't know because people didn't have this push? I'm pretty sure more people than we know because they didn't have faith."
