By Susan Granger
On Aug. 10, 2010, 33 Chilean miners were buried alive by the catastrophic explosion and collapse of a 121-year-old gold and copper mine. For the next 69 days, an international team endeavored to rescue them, as millions of people around the world watched. “The 33” is their story.
Opening with the ominous statistic that 12,000 miners die annually in work accidents, it begins at a retirement party in Copiapo, honoring an old-timer who has only a few days left before hanging up his hardhat forever. That’s where the primary characters are introduced.
There’s shift supervisor Don Lucho (Lou Diamond Phillips), young father-to-be Alex Vega (Mario Casas), philandering Yonni Barrios (Oscar Nunez), Elvis impersonator Edison Pena (Jacob Vargas), Bolivian newcomer Carlos Mamani (Tenoch Huerta), and alcoholic Dario Segovia (Juan Pablo Raba). The most recognizable is Mario Sepulveda (Antonio Banderas), who becomes their leader.
The terror begins at the San Jose Mine under the rugged Atacama Desert, as fateful cracks in the mountain wall signal impending disaster. Trapped under 700 tons of rock, “Super” Mario allocates food and water distribution in the small, sweltering cavern called “the Refuge.”
Above ground, families gather in a makeshift camp, including Maria (Juliette Binoche) as Dario Segovia’s strident, estranged sister. (Binoche replaced Jennifer Lopez, who would have been far more convincing as the itinerant empanada-vendor.)
Chile’s idealistic, new Mining Minister Laurence Golborne (Rodrigo Santoro) supervises the rescue efforts of a team led by civil engineer Andre Sougarret (Gabriel Byrne). In an uncredited cameo, James Brolin is an American drilling engineer.
Based on a superficial scenario by Jose Rivera and Hector Tobar’s authorized account “Deep Down Dark,” it’s formulaically scripted by Mikko Alanne, Craig Borten and Michael Thomas, and conventionally directed by Mexican-born Patricia Riggen (“Under the Same Moon,” “Girl in Progress”), except for one intriguing scene of magical realism.
Photographed by Checco Varese in two working mines in Colombia, its authenticity is obvious, particularly as men are lifted, one-by-one, in a capsule lowered 2,300 below the surface.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The 33” is a solid, survivalist 6, an inspirational tribute to their fortitude, resilience and spirit.
Viewed from the 21st century, it’s difficult to imagine a time when women – 50 percent of the population – were not only denied the right to vote but equality with men on many levels. Held in human bondage, women were considered their husband’s property, along with their children.
In 1912, after 50 years of peaceful protest, the militant Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in London encouraged women in subversive acts of civil disobedience, endangering property – but never human life.
Although harassed laundry plant worker Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) didn’t consider herself a “Suffragette,” she’s inadvertently caught in a street skirmish, where she recognizes a co-worker, Violet Miller (Anne-Marie Duff), among the spirited agitators.
Spotted by the police, meek Maud becomes a ‘suspect,’ persecuted by skeptical Inspector Arthur Steed (Brendan Gleason) and his boorish cohorts, causing distress not only to her but also her husband/co-worker (Ben Whishaw) and their young son (Adam Michael Dodd) when she’s brutally imprisoned.
Chanting, “Deeds, not words,” Maud’s grueling struggle is inspired and encouraged by pharmacist Edith Ellyn (Helena Bonham Carter) and upper-class Alice Houghton (Romola Garai), who galvanize exploited working-class women to join the movement.
Eloquently scripted by Abi Morgan (“The Iron Lady”) and astutely directed by Sarah Gavron (“Brick Lane”), it’s a historical drama, filled with gritty, atmospheric authenticity, including ill-fated activist Emily Wilding Davis (Natalie Press), who stepped in front of King George V’s horse at the Epson Derby in 1913.
Delivering the most subtly ferocious and uncompromising performance of her career, Carey Mulligan (“Far From the Madding Crowd”) is magnificent. Although Meryl Streep is prominently featured in the advertising, her role is, basically, a cameo as defiant Emmeline Pankhurst, who spends far too much time in hiding.
During the credits, there’s a list of dates when various countries granted voting rights to women, concluding with Saudi Arabia, where women’s rights have been ‘promised’ but still not granted.
On the Granger Gauge, “Suffragette” is a struggle-filled 7. And fiery Mulligan is the source of the film’s strength.
( Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
