Real-life survivor Roberto Canessa reacted to Society of the Snow (La Sociedad de la Nieve) missing out on winning any of the two Oscars it was nominated during the 96th Academy Awards, and he was categorical in his declarations. “We were robbed,” Roberto Canessa said in Spanish in an interview just after the Oscars.
“We were absolutely robbed,” he sentenced. “One hundred and fifty million people watched the movie. Three people watched the other one,” he joked, referring to the Best International Feature Film winner, The Zone of Interest. Society of the Snow has indeed broken records and become Netflix’s second-most-watched non-English language film ever.
“It can’t be, it can’t be.” He continued while laughing. When asked if he thought the same of both categories, he admitted he didn’t know much about Makeup and Hairstyling, the other category Society of the Snow was nominated for, but insisted the movie deserved both Oscars it was nominated for. Poor Things was the winner in that category.
“This movie is a contribution to humanity. It talks about the human spirit. It’s a movie without evil. Ten, twelve-year-old kids can watch it. They come to talk to me in school. This movie is something wonderful.”
The internet agreed with Canessa, as the reaction online to the fact that the movie didn’t win anything was one of outcry. There were angry gifs. There were memes. And there was a general sense of sadness, the same sadness that the cast felt as they heard Bad Bunny ultimately announce The Zone of Interest as the winner of the Best International Feature Film category.
Juan Ignacio Caruso, who played Álvaro Mangino in Society of the Snow agreed with Canessa, comparing what happened this year with Argentina, 1985 losing out the Best International Feature Film Oscar last year. “Another movie in Spanish. As always, in Spanish. No Spanish,” he joked.