The film covers events of the 2018 cave rescue, focusing in turn on several individuals who contributed to the rescue effort, including water pump manufacturer Nopadol Niyomka, retired Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan, and especially, Ireland-based cave diver Jim Warny.
Cast
Jim Warny as himself, a Belgian diver and electrician based in Ireland
Jumpa Saenprom as Mae Bua Chaicheun, a Thai rice farmer
Todd Ruiz as himself, an American reporter for Khaosod English
Erik Brown as himself, a Canadian diver
Mikko Paasi as himself, a Finnish diver
Ross W. Clarkson as an Australian doctor
Lawrence de Stefano as Chris, British lead diver
Production
The film was produced by Waller's Bangkok-based De Warrenne Pictures. Waller began working on the film soon after the actual events of June–July 2018, and decided on the story after meeting Warny in Ireland. He co-wrote the script with Don Linder and Katrina Grose, focusing on "the unsung heroes—how they first heard what was happening, how they reacted and dropped everything to help." Several individuals involved in the effort portrayed themselves in the film. Most of the filming took place from October 2018 to January 2019, but it was not until February that Waller was allowed to film at the Tham Luang Nang Non cave. The majority of cave scenes were filmed in other caves in Thailand as well as on a set built over a swimming pool. The film was the first about the rescue to be released, while exclusive rights over the boys' stories had been sold to Netflix.
Release and reception
The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival on 5 October 2019, and was shown at the Vancouver International the BFI Londonfilm festivals before its release in Thailand on 21 November. It made 1.1 million baht on its opening day, and was the second-largest opening that week, following Frozen 2, which earned $9.92 million. Critical reception to the film was mostly muted. Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Elizabeth Kerr described the film as "a technically proficient but unemotional rescue drama." Wendy Ide wrote in Screen International, "Like the cave rescue itself, the film isn't the disaster it easily could have been. But it's far from achieving an equivalent triumph." According to the Bangkok Post Kong Rithdee, the story "feels thin and depthless at times," but ultimately, the film "justifies its existence quite sufficiently." In Thailand, a minor plot point, where pump manufacturer Nopadol's efforts were initially hampered by bureaucratic requirements, generated heated online discussion. Also, Governor Narongsak Osottanakorn, who lead the rescue operation, criticized Waller for not representing the entire operation, as well as for making "jokes that attack the works of Thai civil servants". Waller countered that the Governor should not have criticized without first seeing the film.
