The Rescue, directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, is a nailbiter that focuses on 12 preteen Thai soccer athletes and their coach (who play themselves in the film). In 2018, they were exploring caves in Tham Luang near Chiang Rai, Thailand, until they became trapped about 2.5 miles from the entry point as unexpected monsoon rain fills up the labyrinthine tunnel route, leaving them to seek refuge on a ledge surrounded by water. (Filmviewers may recall The 33, the story of Chilean miners who were trapped 69 days inside a copper and gold mine during 2010 until drilling cleared an escape route.) Instead, The Rescue does not rely on drilling a vertical tunnel or any existing technology to rescue the Thai boys and their coach. Instead, the rescue involves importing horizontal cave divers from England and elsewhere to plan a rescue that seems impossible. Since there is no clue where the Thais are trapped, the first task is to find them along a dangerous route that is brilliantly diagramed on the screen. After they are discovered on Day 10, the next task is to plan how to get the Thais out, as they are not experienced cave divers and must somehow be smuggled out. Each one is then is put to sleep in a bundle, with one cave diver responsible for escorting him to safety. The monumental effort involves cooperation between cave divers from various parts of the world, Thai Navy Seals (one of whom died early in the rescue), American military forces, as well as Chinese assistance that is left unexplained in the film. Meanwhile, the Thai government arranges to divert waters feeding into the tunnel to flow elsewhere. Affected families and Thai religious leaders play an important role in calming everyone. Until discovered, the 13 survive without food because they have engaged in Buddhist meditation to save their energy. Each trip inside the route involves suspense after suspense. The first day of rescue saves four, and four more are saved on the next day. But on Day 18, a storm threatens to bring more rain that might flood the area where the remaining five are waiting. The final rescue is thus a do-or-die drama that succeeds. Although the fact of the rescue is generally known, what the film reveals are the means employed, including dedicated international cooperation. Therefore, the Political Film Society has nominated The Rescue as the best film exposé of 2021. MH