Thirteen Lives: The True Story That Inspired The Drama Survival Film

While there is a long history of inspirational true stories making their way to the big screen, few are as wrought with palpable suspense and dread as "Thirteen Lives." This is because most of us will remember the events that the film is based on, as they became a dedicated part of the 24-hour news cycle back in the summer of 2018.

"Thirteen Lives" follows the events of The Tham Luang cave rescue. Directed by Ron Howard and starring Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, and Joel Edgerton, the film traces the tension felt around the world as many disparate forces united to save 12 young soccer players and their assistant coach from the cave they had been trapped in after it was flooded by a monsoon.

However, given how much liberty movies that are based on true stories often take with real-life events, viewers can be forgiven for wondering just how close "Thirteen Lives" comes to what actually happened. As far as its accuracy, though, the film appears to be incredibly faithful to how the story actually unfolded.

The players and their coach were trapped in the Tham Luang cave for 18 days between June 23 and July 10, 2018. Though all 13 of the victims of these events were ultimately rescued, two of the divers died as a result of rescue efforts. Saman Kunan died of asphyxiation while placing oxygen tanks in the cave, and Beirut Pakbara contracted a blood infection that would eventually claim his life in late 2019. As a result, "Thirteen Lives" features a dedication to these brave souls just before its credits.

As for the events of the rescue, they seem to have generally occurred in the same way that they do in "Thirteen Lives." The boys really were given ketamine injections so that they could be safely transported out of the cave. They actually did meditate during the time that they were trapped, and just a few days later, the cave was completely submerged, just as the film claims.

Ultimately 19 different countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, and India, contributed to the rescue efforts, and as a result of this unified international approach to the crisis, the Tham Luang cave rescue succeeded better than just about anyone expected. For this reason, the rescue is an inspirational tale of survival, and "Thirteen Lives" does an excellent job of truthfully conveying the story behind it.