On June 23rd, 2018, the members of a junior soccer team (or football, for our non-American readers), ages between 11 and 16, and their 25-year-old assistant coach entered the Tham Luang Name Non tourist cave in northern Thailand after practice. Soon after they entered the cave, unseasonably heavy rainfall began falling and partially flooded the cave system. As a result, the team found themselves trapped almost two miles from the cave mouth. The boys and their coach were trapped in the cave for eighteen days, the first ten alone and in utter darkness, aside from a few sparingly used flashlights. The complex and dangerous rescue effort drew international attention and participation.
Fast forward to March 2021. Ron Howard options the rights to the story, and films a docu-drama of the rescue effort, starring Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton, and Tom Bateman. Howard leverages his considerable talent to tell the story entertainingly, faithful to the actual events, and respectful of the culture of the Thai people.
This month, Eve and I are reviewing the Amazon Prime original movie, Thirteen Lives, which masterfully tells the story of that rescue.
Thirteen Lives includes particularly poignant music by Benjamin Wallfisch, a Hollywood veteran composer Eve and I had not encountered for Are You Just Watching before. Like all good scores, Wallfisch’s work blends into the movie’s content and feeds the audiences’ emotions to drive home the action on screen.
Initial Impressions
The first thing that both of us noted is how high the production quality of Thirteen Lives is and the nearly titanic talent involved. Pre-pandemic, Thirteen Lives would have been a theatrical release, eventually making it to streaming platforms. But COVID has changed the game.
Ron Howard, Viggo Mortenson, and Colin Farrell bring their “A” game. The well-established actors portray their roles so well, they almost look like their real-life counterparts. The result is as quality a product as the best Hollywood offers.
The dedication of the actors is apparent in the movie as well. A fair amount of the action in the film contains diving sequences. The actors all did their own diving. They were even trained in cave diving by Richard Stanton and John Volanthen—the two rescue cave divers that led the effort to find the boys. The end result was remarkably believable scenes that allowed close-ups of the actors using the SCUBA gear—complete with all-too-believable looks of fear on their faces.
Ron Howard did a great job of paying attention to the details that helped the audience remain genuinely engaged with the story. Tiny things like the numerous cuts and scrapes the divers would get as they clawed their way through the caves helped to drive home the difficulty and danger. In fact, two people died as a result of the rescue efforts. One of them was Thai Navy SEAL Beirut Pakbara, who succumbed to a blood infection more than a year later. Considering Beirut Pakbara’s death, including these details takes on far greater weight.
Another area where Ron Howard paid particular attention to detail is spotlighting the culture and spirituality of the Thai people involved. While the focus may put some Christians off, Eve and I feel it helps provide a window into the hearts and minds of those affected by the crisis. It also helps remind believers how the Word of God is written on the hearts of humankind. These Buddhists are regular everyday people who have not yet witnessed the mysteries of our Creator. Buddhist meditation was vital in helping the boys survive until help arrived. It is beautiful that we Christians can look at this and marvel at creation itself! The boys spent ten days without food and did it using biological mechanisms built into creation itself.
One final attention to detail that might usually be missed is how Howard made it a point to show how an entire support community grew up around the rescue effort. Roughly a dozen scenes were set in the support camp around the cave. All of them showed how prevalent everyday tasks were—including feeding everyone. Those kinds of logistics frequently get swept under the narrative rug, but it fits so well with the story being told here. It adds a level of polish that is often disregarded.
When we watch “based on true events” films, we approach them differently. We may even know the details of the events in question, yet we watch the movie for the storytelling more than for the story.
Finally, how the community came together to bring their talents to the rescue efforts is heartwarming. At least in American culture, it is a shame that it seems to take a tragic turn of events for our population to set aside political, social, and economic differences.
Buddhism
Buddhists make up 95% of the Thai population, so it’s not surprising that they featured prominently in the telling of this story. While we aren’t all that familiar with Buddhist philosophy, Eve did have a Buddhist roommate in college. It was an opportunity that Eve regrets missing. If she had taken the time to better know her roommate and her Buddhist beliefs, it could have provided a foothold to discuss the gospel.
The same is true for Christians watching Thirteen Lives. Buddhism is the fifth most popular religion in the world, meaning about 535 million adherents are waiting to be led to Christ. If we can be better prepared to answer that call by exposure to Buddhist philosophy in some films, then we should be grateful.
Buddhism is a more “secular” religion than many of us might be used to. It does not worship a god and does not hold to any creation mythos. Instead, it is much more a philosophy seen as more compatible with problematic scientific theories like evolution. It has even pulled some Christians in with the false idea that a clear mind is a worthy goal.
We need to remember that non-Christian religions are an expression of God’s general revelation and common grace:
“Non-Christian religions are not completely false. A Christian understanding of the goodness of creation, the reality of general revelation, the permanence of the image of God in all humans, and the gift of God’s common grace leads us to expect that non-Christian religions contain some elements of truth and add some value to their cultures.” – The Gospel Coalition.
It behooves us to learn more about Buddhism. An excellent place to start is some trusted sources. We recommend Answers In Genesis’s Buddhism chapter in their study on World Religions.
During the movie, there is a scene where it shows the Buddhists monks praying, and it provides the translation:
“I pray to the Guardian Spirit of the forest to apologize for the thirteen boys. If they have offended you, intentionally or unintentionally, I apologize to all spirits in the forest. And spirits everywhere. Everyone at the ceremony would like to pray for the thirteen young boys to come back home safely.”
In fact, one of the local superstitions that developed around the boys being trapped was that they had somehow angered princess Nang Non, so she trapped them in the cave with her tears.
These show that, even when you don’t believe in any particular god, you will still try to fill the holes in your soul with something beyond the natural, like the spirits of the mountain or a long-dead princess. You will still try to define a law for how to live, like karma and reincarnation.
But we know that there is one God, one Lord:
About eating food sacrificed to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.” For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him. (1 Corinthians 8:4-6)
Another scripture that speaks to God as being the only God is 1 Timothy 2:5-6:
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)
We want to stress this because we do not see any elements of the Christian faith in Thirteen Lives. That may be accurate to the events, and Christianity was not represented in the rescue works or the camp. Still, millions of Christians were praying for these boys’ safe rescue. God’s will saw these boys safely home—not the spirit of the mountain or the forest that granted them a reprieve from punishment.
As we work to understand adherents to other religions, we need to remember a person’s faith is either entirely God-centered or utterly ineffective.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot share in the Lord’s table and the table of demons. (1 Corinthians 10:21)
A Global Community
The “wrap-up” text at the end of Thirteen Lives included the fact that “5,000 people from 77 countries volunteered in some capacity.” It is interesting to note that the Buddhist belief in karma might have played a role in this. Were there Buddhist locals who reasoned that their volunteer work would help assure their souls a more favorable reincarnation?
Even if it had, there is no doubt that thousands of people sacrificed a great deal to assist in this rescue. The rescue divers were volunteers, each having a profession outside the rescue work. In addition, dozens of Thai farmers gave up their rice harvest, hoping it might offer the boys a better chance at rescue. Those same farmers then dedicated themselves to carrying trash and cooking meals in the camp. The movie makes the entire rescue effort a tremendous act of charity, but even that does not do it justice. Looking into the volunteerism that would not fit into the movie, it’s clear that Thirteen Lives shows only a tiny fraction of the sacrifice.
Interestingly, another fact included in the wrap-up text of the film was that three of the boys and the coach were all “stateless”:
It is estimated that at least 10 million people are stateless worldwide: they are not considered as nationals by any State under the operation of its law. …They often aren’t allowed to go to school, see a doctor, get a job, open a bank account, buy a house or even get married. (UNHCR Thailand)
Stateless come from a region unclaimed by the countries in the area and have no national citizenship.
Paying attention to this included fact helps drive home certain scenes in the movie that may not have had much impact earlier. For example, at one point, the mother of one of the stateless boys came up and asked if her son would be rescued too. It is frightening to imagine living as so cut-rate a member of society that authorities might save those around you, but NOT you—because of your status.
All four stateless team members were granted Thai citizenship after their rescue.
Eve and I have repeatedly discussed the importance of teamwork in past episodes. One of the several go-to verses we reference when talking about cooperation is:
Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10)
Ron Howard shows two separate yet complementary efforts to rescue the trapped boys. When the divers finally reach the chamber in which the team is huddled in the dark, they ask the group how they stayed alive. One of the boys (the only one who spoke English) said that the coach helped them meditate to fight their fear and hunger. When the locals realized that the boys were trapped in the cave, one of the first people they reached out to was a British expatriate who knew the caves and was trusted to advise them.
This depiction of the community speaks to how we, as a church, should also be coming together. The Bible says:
And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Willing Sacrifices
The danger that these rescuers faced could not be overstated. Yet all of them face this danger and work to rescue the boys. Thai SEALs willingly dived under adverse circumstances that exceeded their training, sacrificing their lives if necessary to find and rescue the boys. Unfortunately, one diver perished, running out of air while staging tanks. As we mentioned previously, the villagers willingly sacrificed their fields to help the effort to divert the water from the caves without even knowing if the boys were still alive. One of the documentaries said at least one of the farmers refused money from the government in compensation.
“This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13)
Christ was the eponymous sacrifice for our sins; His example is the one we should seek to emulate. As I write these show notes, Hurricane Ian is making landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. Yet, thousands of people and hundreds of faith-based organizations, like Operation Blessing, are staged and ready to rush in after the storm has passed to help the residents rebuild. The dedication and devotion these people show in their work are awe-inspiring. Thank God for it.
Experience versus training
The movie indicates some tension between the Thai SEALs and the British cave diving experts. In the documentaries, the details of the dives are given more weight. The British divers accessed the boys in a round trip that took about 7 hours. The first SEAL team that went in was gone for an entire day and only sent back 3 out of the 7 divers who went because they used up too much air on the trip in. They were so exhausted by the dive that they had to sleep with the boys for several hours before attempting the return. Ron Howard demonstrates the difference between training and experience. The British cave rescue knew the importance. When the Thai SEAL leader said, “Sir, look at them. They’re amateurs. They’ll never survive the currents in the cave,” John responded, “Yeah. No offense, but you’re trained to dive in open water, not confined spaces. Rick and I have been diving in caves just like this for 30 years now.” Later in the Thirteen Lives, one of the younger cave divers who had come to assist has a post-rescue panic attack as he comes to understand the actual weight of their task. Training is essential, but the experience is what defines the expert.
Another way that experience is demonstrated in Thirteen Lives is how the different divers configured their “kits.” The cave divers tether their oxygen tanks to their waist, allowing it to move freely as they move through the caves. This allows easier passage through tight spaces. But the SEALs rigged their tanks to their backs, like in open water. The danger is implied when the movie shows a Thai SEAL getting tangled because of this configuration.
There was another, more sobering way that Thirteen Lives demonstrated the importance of experience. When Rick and John returned from their first visit to the chamber where the boys were trapped, they handed off a video of the boys to the Thai SEAL team. They told the SEALs, “Make sure nobody else [but the rescuers] sees this.” Yet, despite the warning, within moments, the thousands of people at the camp had copies of the video. The Thai SEALs didn’t understand, but Rick and John did. The boys, though alive now, were almost certain to die trapped in the cave. They understood the perils involved in this type of rescue. They knew the trip back would be far more stressful than any but the most experienced divers could take. Unfortunately, they couldn’t see a way to rescue the boys at that time. But the video’s release gave false hope to thousands of people—including the boys’ families. It also worsened the potential political harm for rescuers and politicians involved. When they ask Rick to talk to the press, he responds:
Rick: “What do you want me to tell them? ‘We found the boys. Now let’s all watch ’em die.'”
John: “Okay, Rick, take it easy.”
Rick: “I’m just telling it like it is. All this water pumping, flooding fields, praying to shrines, it’s [bull]! I’m not having it.”
Official: “The Thai SEALs are going in tomorrow.”
Rick: “Those boys are never coming out. Never.”
Official: “Our most experienced divers are going to…”
Rick: “No, sir. It’s not about your divers.”
Rick: “We brought a man out on our first dive, and he completely panicked. Almost drowned. And that was a very short swim.”
Rick: “You try and dive those kids the whole way, all you’ll be bringing out is dead bodies!”
…
Rick: This is exactly what I didn’t want.”
John: “Well, you knew we’d find them.”
Rick: “I didn’t expect to find them alive.”
Scripture reminds us that part of wisdom is understanding the hopelessness of the fallen state as well:
For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases. (Ecclesiastes 1:18)
As Christians, experience plays a vital role in our relationship with our brothers and sisters. Young Christians are often exuberant and passionate, eager to experience all their faith offers. Older, more experienced Christians have seen the good and the bad in their walk with Christ and their lives in the church. The family of God needs both these perspectives, but of the two, the experience should always be considered.
This is even expressed in the well-known and oft-recited Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
We see similar thoughts in scripture:
Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life. Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are his. Whatever he tears down cannot be rebuilt; whoever he imprisons cannot be released. When he withholds water, everything dries up, and when he releases it, it destroys the land. (Job 12:12-15)
Listen to counsel and receive instruction so that you may be wise later in life (Proverbs 19:20)
The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is gray hair. (Proverbs 20:29)
Scapegoat
One last thought about Thirteen Lives. At the movie’s beginning, we learn that the provincial governor had just been fired and was supposed to leave his post at the end of that week. But when the Minister comes to the cave for a briefing, he makes it clear that the governor is not permitted to leave until the issue is resolved, one way or another. It becomes clear that the Minister intends to use the governor as a scapegoat should the rescue efforts fail.
Many do not know that the entire concept of a scapegoat originates from the Bible:
After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other for an uninhabitable place, he is to present the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot for an uninhabitable place is to be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement with it by sending it into the wilderness for an uninhabitable place. – Leviticus 16:8–10
Throughout the movie, though, the governor was an excellent leader. He knew his role as a fall guy and accepted it. He knew he was risking sacrificing his future career. If the rescue failed, as was almost inevitable, the governor would never work again. His life’s work would crumble. Yet he did this willingly. This is a beautiful example of a servant leader. Knowingly or not, we see a dim reflection of Christ through the attitude of this governor.
One Last Thought
If you’d like to know more about the difficulties these types of divers face, check out the YouTube channel Adventures with Purpose. The team behind this channel stumbled into the work they do when they unexpectedly found a body in a submerged car. Since then, they realized that they had a greater purpose: working cold cases. As of last month, they have solved 24 cold cases. Be sure to check it out. [edit 11-9-22] The founder of Adventure of Purpose was indicted for a monstrous act in his past. Eve enjoyed watching the solving of cold cases but does not wish to promote the channel of someone who has done horrendous crimes. There are other groups on YouTube that do this type of recovery diving such as Chaos Divers, Adventures with Nug, etc. If you want to watch these kind of rescues, please search YouTube for rescue diving.
Are You Just Watching? is listener supported. Special thanks to our current patrons: Isaias Santillano, Craig Hardee, Stephen Brown II, David Lefton, and Peter Chapman for their generous support. We can't continue to share critical thinking for the entertained Christian without your financial help, so please head on over to our Patreon page and become one of our supporting patrons! What did you think of Thirteen Lives? We would like to know, even if just your reactions to the trailer or the topics we shared in this episode. Or what general critical-thinking and entertainment thoughts or questions do you have? Would you like to suggest a movie or TV show for us to give a Christian movie review with critical thinking?Please support the podcast!
Share your feedback!
Please connect with us
