What Sole Survivor is all about without spoiling the show
Sole Survivor has an incredibly unique premise. It follows the story of several individuals who were the lone person to survive a major plane crash. The focus is on one man in particular who, as a teenager, survived a plane crash. Now, as an adult, he seeks to talk with the other small number of people who were the lone survivors of similar aviation accidents to help overcome any survivor’s guilt he may have and see how they feel about any burden they may carry.
Did you know anything about the Sole Survivor before watching?
The documentary covers a couple of different plane crashes. Because it’s so rare for only a single person to survive a major crash and many took place in foreign countries or many years ago, there was no familiarity with the story.
Will Sole Survivor make people feel uncomfortable?
There aren’t too many graphic depictions of what happens to people who are killed in plane crashes. If you’re a survivor of an accident like this, I suppose it could cause you to feel triggered.
What was good about Sole Survivor?
The premise was fantastic. It drew me in immediately. The variety of stories they could have explored was unique, too. We get a close look into the life of one sole survivor as he makes contact with people from much different walks of life. People of differing ages, nationalities, and other backgrounds are all included. Death comes after us all.
Unfortunately, what’s good about Sole Survivor ends with the premise.
What could have made Sole Survivor better?
The execution was poor. The production seemed cheap which can easily be overcome by telling the story a little better. There have been other documentaries on this low-budget feel that were able to hit the mark well enough. Sole Survivor misses it.
The topic is a heavy one so I didn’t expect to see a lot of comical moments. What bothered me was the the tone. It’s slow-paced and boring. We only really see the negative in the lives of these lone survivors. Very little is touched on what they have done with their lives. It missed a chance to be uplifting at points.
Really, it was the feel of Sole Survivor which had me bored. It jumps around between a couple of different stories including a court case against a co-pilot that was a lone survivor of a crash. It seemed like the filmmakers didn’t know exactly what they planned to do. They turned on a camera, shot it, and put the footage together after.
Is Sole Survivor worth watching?
I was gravely disappointed by Sole Survivor so I can’t recommend it. When I discovered it, the premise drew me in. It was such a unique take. Only a little over a dozen people have the perspective of being a sole survivor of a plane crash.
This low-budget venture was a miss. If they had more money, maybe there could have been a way to make it better. The people featured didn’t seem all that interesting. When they do open up, they still seem a little guarded. We never really get to know how many of them feel. I would watch another documentary on this same premise just because I find it interesting. This one, you can skip.
Overall Score: 2 out of 10
Few documentaries have let me down as much as Sole Survivor did. I’m still bummed about it.
Interested in watching Sole Survivor or learning more about the case? Below you will find affiliate links to the series as well as other information about this case. By using this links, I may receive a small commission of any purchase you may make.
Watch I Am Alive: Surviving the Andes Plane Crash on Amazon
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