Netflix's 'Snow Brotherhood' retells chilling survival drama, ranks 4th in non‑English hits

The tragic story dates back to October 13, 1972, when a total of 45 people boarded a plane bound from Uruguay to Chile. Pilots, rugby players, their kin, and acquaintances were among them. The plane ended up crashing in the Andes, not too far from the Chile-Argentina border. Although most passengers survived the initial impact, twelve people lost their lives during the emergency landing. Yet, the tragedy didn't end there; it marked the beginning of the real drama in the Andes.

Help did not reach them immediately. The survivors had to endure extreme conditions for more than two months. Hunger, fear, physical pain, snow, and frostbite all continued to claim lives. The bodies of those who perished became a distressing means for the remaining survivors to stave off starvation.

Netflix's rendition of this Andean drama is titled "Snow Brotherhood". It recently earned two Oscar nominations, one for makeup and hairstyling and another for the best international feature film. "Snow Brotherhood" is a co-production involving USA, Uruguay, and Chile companies. Still, it represented Spain in the contest for awards from the American Film Academy under the direction of Juan Antonio Bayona.

Audiences and critics alike have praised "Snow Brotherhood" for its high-quality cinema. It has not only garnered excellent reviews and awards — including the Audience Award at the San Sebastian Festival and nominations for both the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards — but it has also become trendy on Netflix's streaming platform, making it far from an overstatement to call it a hit.

In less than three weeks, "Snow Brotherhood" was watched by 64.4 million Netflix users worldwide, making it the third most-watched non-English language movie of the week worldwide. Additionally, it climbed to the 4th position on the platform's all-time hit list. The Oscar nominations are expected to garner even more viewer interest in this film.

Here are the five most popular non-English language films in the history of Netflix:

1. "Troll" (2022) – 103 million viewers (Norway).

2. "Nowhere" (2023) – 83.7 million viewers (Spain).

3. "Platform" (2020) – 82.8 million viewers (Spain).

4. "Snow Brotherhood" (2024) – 64.4 million viewers (Spain).

5. "Through My Window" (2022) - 61.1 million viewers (Spain).