Amazon and MGM have debuted the trailer for the retelling of the real-life story ‘Thirteen Lives.’
The story focuses on the real-life story of the boy’s football team from Thailand who became trapped in a cave for more than two weeks when heavy rains partially flooded the cave, blocking their way out.
All twelve of the boys were rescued along with their 25-year-old coach, though the effort claimed the life of a retired Thai Navy SEAL, Saman Kunan, who ran out of air while saving the kids. Another rescue diver died a year and a half later as a result of a blood infection contracted during the rescue.
To celebrate the global launch of the trailer, director Ron Howard and members of the cast including Colin Farrell and Viggo Mortensen amongst others came together to open up and express their honour in being able to take part in retelling the story of a terrifying miracle.
Director Ron Howard isn’t one to shy away from getting involved with telling real-life stories and this harrowing story that gripped the world was no different, mainly for telling the story of those involved in every step of the rescue on these boys.
“Like a lot of people, I was aware of what was going on. My wife was really glued and paying attention, of course, the outcome was a relief to the world. It was one of those tremendous moments. When I had a chance to read William Nicholson’s script, though, it not only delivered on everything that I recalled but it just suggested so much more. Three were more levels and dimensions to the heroics, the people involved especially the Thai people. There were surprises in this story that I just felt like I could make something really visceral and immediate and do what a scripted version of a telling of a true story is supposed to do, which is to make it more engaging.
The more I learned about this on a very emotional level I realised that there is, yes the epicentre of this were the caves and the boys and the coach and the intensity and focus of the rescue, very cinematic and intense suspenseful and I wanted to capture that. There was incredible involvement in other places, people taking real risks, physical risks, and emotional risks as the stakes kept getting higher, up on the mountain trying to divert the water, trying to keep the system going, the parents doing everything they possible could on an emotional level, a spiritual level, everything they could think about.”
Viggo Mortensen who plays the real-life character of Rick Stanton, the British civilian cave diver who specialises in rescues, was grateful to have Stanton on set for the filming to not only help the team to re-enact the rescue but make sure the whole team were safe.
“It was crucial, especially for what we had to do underwater. Rick Stanton was there during rehearsals with all the actors, and Jason also who was one of the real-life rescuers, they helped us to not only help us swim like them and move like them but to be safe. The way we worked as a team reflected, I think, what they described to us, and what the rescue entailed. We worked together as much above water as much as underwater. Underwater was more important because even though we were shooting a movie and it’s somewhat a controlled situation whenever you are underwater, in caves, it’s dangerous. All of the actors listened very carefully to what they were telling us and watched what they did very carefully. It reflected the real rescue and that it was a very selfless team-orientated effort.”
Colin Farrell, who takes on the role of John Volanthen, another British cave diver specialising in rescues, revealed that not only was it an honour to be involved of this retelling of a terrifying situation but also a burden at the same time.
“They say don’t work with children or animals, I’d throw water into that mix as well. I can’t really swim, but there is an element of not swimming in what we were doing, more like scuba diving, we had to accept the process of not drowning but submerging. It’s a different world beneath the surface of the water. I just felt like I was just a spoke of many in a story that was so multi-faceted. The burden and also the honour were one in the same in that we were telling this tale of events that took place. We were representing lives that exist today. There were two lives that were lost as a result, one directly during the rescue and another man who lost his life as a result of an infection months later. The responsibility to honour the lives that were past and not just the spirit of those who survived the rescue that was in the many, surprisingly, was something that was a burden and an honour. We were really aware of it. It wasn’t about us coming in as actors playing these British divers who were there to save the day and rescue, it was really about us being led by our Thai brothers and sisters and those people were playing as well. To be part of something that ultimately at its core was, and at a time when the world seems to be living under greater and greater division was really about these different people from different nationalities, and different cultural backgrounds coming together for a common purpose and one that was so terrifying, it was a great gift.”
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The film hits select cinemas on July 29th and launches on Prime Video on August 5th