Thai Cave Rescue, a six-part Netflix limited series, does not have it easy. How can you keep the 18-day Tham Luang Nang Non-experience interesting when the narrative of a dozen preteen to teen soccer players and their coach trapped deep under the flooded cave system has been repeated so many times before? 

Never mind the nonstop media coverage of the catastrophe and arduous rescue operation four years ago. This territory has already been covered by three films, including Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s documentary The Rescue and Ron Howard’s thrillingly restrained Thirteen Lives.

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Despite the redundancies, Thai Cave Rescue, with its amusingly simple title that appears to be created for the greatest SEO results, does quite well. Just make sure to watch it using the local Thai audio track and subtitles rather than the terrible English dub that the Netflix site defaults to. 

The series, developed by Michael Russell Gunn and Dana Ledoux Miller, isn’t quite as graceful and captivating as Howard’s film, which stars Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, and Joel Edgerton as the divers who rescued the Wild Boars soccer team from the cave. Thai Cave Rescue is a more detailed, melodramatic, and oftentimes heavy-handed account that includes one key element that the films do not: the soccer team’s point of view.

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In an agreement facilitated by their respective governments, Netflix and SK Global gained exclusive rights to the Wild Boars soccer team’s narrative. We get to know the characters, their families, and the emotional baggage they brought into the cave with them.

And thanks to Thai filmmaker Baz Poonpiriya and American-Thai filmmaker Kevin Tancharoen, both of whom executive produce alongside Jon M Chu, the story is conveyed concerning local subtleties (the Taiwanese American director behind Crazy Rich Asians).

Chu famously tweeted the day after the real-life rescue that he refuses to let Hollywood whitewash this story, a warning shot to other films that would eventually favor the narratives of the British and Australian divers whose plan to anesthetize and courier the boys through the treacherous underwater passages miraculously worked.

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Chu wrote, “There’s a great story about humans defending other humans.” “Anyone thinking about the story should approach it correctly [and] appropriately.” 

Thai Cave Rescue stands out right away with a brief prologue that honors the all-hands-on-deck community that came together to reach the lads on the penultimate day of the rescue. Thai Navy Seals, American military help, foreign engineers and divers, local politicians, farmers, park rangers, volunteers, and even those merely sending prayers from around the world are all part of the effort.

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The series then rewinds to present each youngster, beginning with Titan (Pratya “Tiger” Patong, 11, and his instructor Eak (Papangkorn “Beam” Lerkchaleampote, who died earlier this year at the age of 25).

Titan stayed at Eak’s house to get away from his feuding parents. Eak, an orphan nurtured in a Buddhist monastery, has matured into a trustworthy guide for younger children. He talks about selected families early on, foreshadowing his role as their father figure for the next 18 days (and beyond for those kids who have hostile environments at home)

The connection with these characters inherently elevates the series, even if some of the performances are a little awkward and rough. The first few episodes are tough, especially when the writers are searching for levity in a tale that doesn’t often allow for it. Small humor is tossed into heavy or uncomfortable situations and lands with a thud. 

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Later episodes are more confident. The performances start to improve, and the lighthearted camaraderie between the young soccer squad and those on the outside waiting to rescue them feels like a suitable solution to their perilous condition.

Thaneth Warakulnukroh, a veteran singer turned actor, stands out among the cast. In his portrayal of Governor Narongsak, the man faced with directing the rescue, replying to parents, lawmakers, and the media while navigating an impossible situation, he finds reservoirs of empathy and grace notes.

Thaneth Warakulnukroh, a veteran singer turned actor, stands out among the cast. In his portrayal of Governor Narongsak, the man faced with directing the rescue, replying to parents, lawmakers, and the media while navigating an impossible situation, he finds reservoirs of empathy and grace notes.

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In a subsequent episode, Narongsak offers the soccer team parents two options: provide supplies for the lads to perhaps survive months in the cave until the monsoon season passes, or attempt an emergency underwater rescue. He recommends they go for the rescue, noting that both eventualities will most likely result in death, but one will be rapid and the other will be slow. That one interaction really brought home the weight of every decision he makes – and the willpower required to even evaluate them.

The most moving episode is about Saman Gunan (Suppakorn “Tok” Kitsuwan, a fallen Navy Seal, and his wife Maew (Tusrin “Oui” Punpae). Ja Sam passed out while lugging oxygen tanks through Tham Luang in preparation for the rescue. 

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Throughout the episode, he keeps an eye on Maew. They have warm and heartbreaking chats in which he expresses his desire that his volunteer stint at Tham Luang will be completed soon so that he can return home and join her in preparing for the bicycle marathon.

One of the most emotionally felt onscreen edits in recent memory is a match cut between Maew’s headlight as she navigates Bangkok’s bike trails at night and Ja Sam’s flashlight as he makes his final voyage through Tham Luang. It’s also a suitable homage to the people whose story is underrepresented in all of the films about this rescue. 

Thai Cave Rescue is now streaming on Netflix.