While Hot Frosty is still dominating the Netflix movie charts this week, a tragic and unbelievable documentary has shot to second place. The Lost Children, directed by Orlando von Einsiedel, is a look back at the incredible true story of four Indigenous children who survived a plane crash in the Colombian jungle in 2023 and survived for 40 days before being rescued.
On May 1, 2023, a light aircraft traveling from Araracuara to San José del Guaviare with seven people on board crashed in the woods. The pilot and one passenger died on impact, but a mom and her four children survived. The mother died days later, at which point the Mucutuy kids—all between the ages of 13 years and 11 months—had to fend for themselves.
The documentary features first-hand testimonies and archival material from the volunteers who risked their lives to find the children, the Colombian Army, and members of the Mucutuy family. This is the story of how they all worked together to save the siblings.
“It’s always crucial to treat stories involving painful human tragedy with the deep respect and sensitivity they deserve. I was drawn to this particular narrative because it was clear that within it were many glimpses of incredible human resilience and strength – not only the children’s battle to survive in the forest alone but also the way in which Indigenous rescuers and the military were able to overcome their mutual mistrust and fear to unite in a dangerous and epic mission to rescue the children,” said director Orlando von Einsiedel.
In all, the search and rescue operation ended up attracting more than 400 individuals, including 150 troops and rescuers and 200 Indigenous volunteers. Although they were malnourished and exhausted by the time they were rescued, the siblings used their ancestral knowledge of the area to stay alive for weeks as the rescue operation ramped up.
The Lost Children is now streaming on Netflix.
