The Rescue: An Extraordinary Documentary for an Even More Extraordinary Event

Courtesy of Disney+

By Kat Kaderabek 

Gut-wrenching. Heartstopping. Anxiety-inducing. The Rescue, a documentary by National Geographic, is all of these things even as the audience knows how it ends before the film begins. Now streaming on platforms like Disney+, this documentary follows one of the most daring rescues in history which took place in Thailand in 2018 when an entire soccer team became trapped in an underwater cave system during a monsoon. Full of never-before-seen material, the documentary quite literally takes viewers with the divers on an incredible rescue that was nothing short of a miracle. 

Twelve boys and their soccer coach, all a part of the Wild Boars soccer team, were stranded for several days before divers were able to find them. The film explains that playing in the caves was not unusual; it was like a playground to the children of Northern Thailand. The cave system stretched for over 6 kilometers and consisted of over nine chambers which the team was forced to traverse once water levels rose too high for them to get out. 

A chilling dilemma that brought in the Thai Navy SEALS, two expert English cave divers, and eventually the entire world, this situation was as drastic as it could have been. Not only was locating the children a difficult task, but the effort to retrieve them from the cave was near impossible. Solutions from every force in attendance were proposed. Pumping the water out was impossible; the children have located a two-and-a-half-hour dive away from the entrance to the cave. Leaving them in there until the water receded was only a mediocre option; monsoon season could easily raise the water in their chamber to an unsurvivable level. They were also running out of oxygen.  

So how can two cave divers get thirteen children, who have no experience cave diving, let alone diving through slick, unseeable mud, to the rescue team which is two and a half hours underwater due east? The documentary suggests that sheer, undeniable luck allowed the rescue to happen, especially given the challenges along the way. 

The documentary chronicles the challenges the rescuers faced, the problems that arose, and even the unfortunate death of a former Thai Navy SEAL, Saman Kunan, who had volunteered to assist the military in rescuing the boys. The documentary makers place much weight on his sacrifice and the heavy decision-making process that rested upon the men involved. This was not an easy rescue. It is not an easy documentary to watch.

Even knowing that the children and coach were all rescued safely, as it was globally publicized following the rescue, the filmmakers made sure the audience knew the risks and issues that arose which made this rescue quite literally the most astounding to date. From the egregious weather conditions to the challenge of sedating the children in order to carry them through the water on the trek to the line of the rope breaking to the amateur cave divers called in to assist, this documentary leaves no stone unturned nor a problem not played out. Even the language barrier was addressed. The documentary made it seem almost improbable that this rescue was going to be pulled off.  

The raw, unfiltered footage from the rescue is heart-wrenching and eye-opening. Not to mention, the recounts of the people involved are incredibly startling as they detail what it is like to carry the life of thirteen children in their hands. 

Overall, these issues and footage details over the majority of the film were incredibly well done and served great justice to those involved with the rescue itself. It leaves the audience feeling like there are true superheroes in this world and that when help is needed, the world will answer back, by some miracle.

While the film is anxiety-inducing, there is a very joyous end that will bring a tear to any eye. The sheer strength and power of the human spirit, the determination to see a child alive, and the teamwork that can unite everyone over the bond of humanity are shown beautifully in The Rescue. This is a must-watch documentary.