Thai Cave Rescue

Uplifting. Emotional. Claustrophobic.

Thai Cave Rescue is about as review-proof as any series could be. All the screenplay had to do to be compelling was to approximate aspects both awe-inspiring and frightful of this ripped from the (global) headlines true story. Anyone who remembers the events that transfixed the world with horror and hope over nearly three weeks in 2018 will appreciate the drama's success at recreating not only the life-and-death stakes but also the roller-coaster emotions inspired therefrom. Anyone unfamiliar with those events will be gripped by the Netflix series' six-episode blend of claustrophobic peril, engineering ingenuity, and sheer human guts. Thai Cave Rescue recounts the adventures of the Wild Boars youth soccer team when 12 players and their coach become trapped in a cave. An early, out-of-season monsoon storm--missed by weather forecasters--generated run-off floodwater that submerged the cave entrance. Rescuing them required herculean efforts by the Thai government, and crowdsourcing problems to a watching world.

The series isn't perfect, but whatever its shortcomings in story, pacing, and editing, I think its signature success is not the narration but the emotion. The series captures the mood of those days.* Hope shifted to despair, cycled back to hope only to be again displaced by pessimism and angst, rising like the irrepressible flood waters that made rescuing the kids so very perilous. Watch the series for the emotional wringer born from NOT KNOWING as much as to learn what transpired. Each episode toggles between the plight of the boys in the cave, the hand-wringing of parents trapped outside and unable to do anything for their kids, the dedication of an international cadre of rescuers who problem solve each new challenge as it develops, and the growing fascination of a worldwide audience who found these events more compelling than the actual World Cup that unfolded in parallel. Thai Cave Rescue delivers riveting drama, plenty of pathos, and the happy ending you all recall from real life.

The child actors playing the trapped soccer team turn in decent performances, a requirement not always met by young performers portraying "children in danger" stories. Seeing how these kids reacted to their prolonged confinement provides a fascinating study in human psychology and resilience. Among the adults, I'd single out two performances. First, the actor playing the provincial governor did an outstanding job as the nexus between families, rescuers, and government inertia. The character tied together the disparate plot threads outside the cave. Second, as the team's coach Beam anchors the entire drama. His character, Coach Aek, could have been a villain (and Beam plays Aek as fully aware of that judgment) but emerges as the chief hero. He kept the boys alive and calm with no food and water for ten days until rescuers located them. As the "rescuers" have no clue how to safely extract the lost boys, Aek's role as caretaker extends another full week in the darkness. Beam infuses his portrayal with a mix of stoicism and compassion, even as the coach suffers through his own personal crisis of guilt for having led his charges into peril. The talented young actor passed away in March, just days after shooting wrapped. Fittingly, Thai Cave Rescue's last piece of storytelling, injected into the Finale's end-credits is a tribute to Beam.

*--This Netflix production is the third re-telling of these events released in Summer 2022. For those who prefer a documentary retelling of these events, see THE RESCUE, streaming on Disney+. For those who want a shorter, feature film, focusing more on the international cave divers, see the Ron Howard film THIRTEEN LIVES, streaming on Amazon Prime. Each production emphasizes different elements and contains bits of the stories omitted by the others. Of the three, Thai Cave Rescue is the most well-rounded, most balanced with the different arcs of the events, and most focused on the Thai part of the story.

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"Let's find out our fate"

Thai Cave Rescue is a drama that I rated more on feelings than subjective evaluation. This was the first production to be given permission by the boys and their families. Best to remember when watching this that while they strove for authenticity, events and people were changed for dramatic effect. If you are too young to have heard about this real-life event or had no interest in the worldwide reporting at the time, my comments may be spoilery.

I remember hearing about the boys lost in the cave near the Myanmar border with Thailand back in 2018. When they had gone into the cave like they had done before, they didn’t know that a monsoon rain was incoming that flooded much of the cave while they were inside. Like others around the world, I prayed for them every day and scoured the news often to see if they had been found, hoping they were alive. When they were found I rejoiced! But my joy was tempered with the news that getting the boys out of the treacherous cave was close to impossible.

At first it seemed the Thai government had been resistant to foreigners helping but those closest to the scene brought in expert cave divers from around the world. Hydrology specialists, drillers, no stone was unturned in trying to find a way to safely bring the boys out. What the drama didn’t tell was that when the divers were searching for the boys, they found four men who had been working in the cave and struggled to rescue them because the men thrashed around nearly causing death to all of them. Bringing 12 boys and their coach who had been stranded without food for over a week through 4 km/ 2.5 mi of some of the most dangerous underwater paths seemed an insurmountable task. There were underwater openings so small that it required the divers to squeeze through, other places stalactites and stalagmites were like stone teeth. Silt in the water made visibility low. And every day the rescuers raced against the clock as the rains caused the water levels to rise.

This drama did a good job of focusing on certain aspects of the Wild Boars team and the rescue efforts. Even at 6 episodes, the rescue efforts were enormous with 10,000 people on the ground outside the cave. Resources poured in from around the world. People gave of their time, their expertise, their money, and in the case of Thai farmers--their crops. People volunteered with food stalls to feed the people working around the clock to save the boys. The parents were shown in their anguish, praying for their children to once again be held in their arms. The governor dealt not only with his own personnel, but foreigners, the parents, reporters, and higher-ups afraid of losing face if the operation was a failure.

Most importantly, the boys were shown as the children they were. Their young coach taught them meditation to ease their minds and hunger pains. As one of the divers said to him, “You saved these boys, now it’s up to all of us to rescue them.” The Thai Navy SEALs stayed with the boys as others hashed out plans to bring the boys home. The drama didn’t shy away from the hard truth that bringing the boys out might have a low percentage of success. The estimates of success were as low as 30% of the boys surviving.

Beam Papangkorn Lerkchaleampote gave a beautiful performance as the Wild Boars’ coach who was willing to do whatever he could to protect the children in his care. The young actors gave very natural, unpolished performances which actually worked for this documentary style drama. Many of the older Thai actors had the complication of performing in both English and Thai with mixed results. Ek Thaneth Warakulnukroh as the Governor gave a complex performance as the man dealing with maddening officials, heartbreaking parents, overwhelming choices, and Mother Nature’s wrath.

Partially filmed in the actual cave and even the boys’ own homes, the drama felt real. The ever pouring rain could be felt dampening everyone’s spirits. The caves that had been so beautiful as the boys initially walked through became a dark watery monster as the waters rose. And yet people risked their lives, pitched in however they could, and always fought for these boys as if they were their own. It was beautiful to see how people could pull together when there was nothing to gain except helping 13 strangers.

In many ways, the Wild Boars became the world’s children as people rallied around them both physically and in spirit. “I’ve seen Buddhists, Christians, and animists, heads bowed in prayer. I’ve even bowed my own. Whatever you believe, believe in these boys.” Amen, Governor, amen.

20 May 2025

Spoilers:
RIP
Retired Navy SEAL Saman Gunan died underwater in the cave when he lapsed into unconsciousness.
Navy SEAL Beirut Pakbara died months after the rescue from a blood infection he incurred at the cave.
Beam died in 2022 before the drama premiered, found unresponsive in his bed by his family.
Real Wild Boar captain, Duangphet Phromthep died at the age of 17 in the UK by suicide in 2023.

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This was the most devastating, realistic, hopeful, peaceful yet so full of tension, dread and fear.
It felt as real as the event itself. Sure actingwise only a couple of the kids had talent, like teil and mark felt like they were the kids they played. But the awkwardness of the others actually carried the realism of normal kids stuck at a cave. It almost felt awkward seeing the real pictures at the end cuz to me they were them


The world is a horrible cruel place but to think of how one disaster untied so many different countries, cultures, social standings, a governor, a weather analysts, a ranger, a diver and so many different people became one. each and every one of them is a hero and may the one that passed away saving those kids rest peace as well.
Trash like squid games don't deserve hype, this drama does. I do remember hearing about the incident, I actually hate the news so I stopped my mom whenever she talked about it until she told me they were all saved, so I never knew how long and how difficult the whole ordeal was
Like beside it being a real fresh global news, the filming was able to look beautiful, charming and devastating at the same time. I do think the time the kids stayed in the cave before food came was glossed over too fasd, even the final rescues, 5 hours for the 1st kid, 12hours for 8. Though understandably this wasn't a documentary
I sincerely hope everyone got paid well while the rescues got medals and idk superhero capes with golden planks that has their name on it
You can't rate the story low cuz it's literally based on a new worldwide disaster, tho directing, it wasn't bad also. It balanced well between each event the only shortcomings was the newbie acting


Also, this might fall under "music" but I watched this dub, I'm not used to thai and this was a heavy drama, but I do think the English voice actors did a better job at delivering the emotions. Their tones moved well with every tension, hope, sadness and anger.
The korean dubs sounded like news and the thai was flat

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“Whatever you believe, believe in these boys.”

It's always hard to watch anything that is based on true events. There is no "separating fiction from reality" when the show is supposed to present said reality. It hits hard, it makes you feel more. There is no safety of thinking: it’s just a story, because that story was these people’s lives.

The drama perfectly captures the intensity and the tragedy of the events that happened between 23rd June and 10th July 2018. But it also presents how we are capable of great things, cooperation, miracles beyond comprehension. On one hand everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Whenever the plan was formed, they had to change or abandon it, because of the ever changing circumstances. Fate kept punching them down, but they all refused to give up.

The drama made me think about the hard choices that had to be made. After so many days the chances of the kids being alive were slim. But the chances of the rescue team dying during the rescue were high. “I'm not risking lives for dead bodies” - it is an honest question you need to ask yourself... The choices they made led to the boys being rescued.

I also like how the drama clearly presents both the heart and brain are needed to make that happen. Be it conviction, faith, trust - you need that drive that keeps you and your hope alive to even take the action. But you also need science to solve the issues and achieve the goal.

Human kind is the worst, but sometimes it's the best.

About the more technical aspects - I am in awe. What a production. It represented the harsh reality of cave diving in such a terrifying way. The struggles and obstacles these people had to overcome. The claustrophobic nightmare these 18 days were. And with the amount of people involved in the rescue (10,000 people, including more than 100 divers, scores of rescue workers, representatives from about 100 governmental agencies, 900 police officers and 2,000 soldiers) showing how truly big the operation was could not have been an easy task, and yet they made it. They cast just the right people to portray the people involved - no bad acting, no awkward english delivery with non-distinguishable accents. Every aspect of the drama seemed to have a purpose, and the screen time was efficiently used to both showcase the length of the events, but also the press of time they all faced.

Overall, extremely touching, uplighting, but also scary. Even knowing how it ends, I was tense watching each and every moment. I cried, and cried some more. I’ll end the review on the quote that truly touched even my atheistic ass:

"The odds are nearly impossible. But we've all seen statistics be wrong before. We've all seen the power of the mind overcome the power of the body. We all have doubts. We all have crises of faith. We've all had days of rain that never end. But the rain ended. It wasn't supposed to. But it wasn't supposed to start when the boys entered the cave either. Fate has a way of dealing us a hand that we don't always want, challenges we could do without. But challenges can be opportunities. Maybe you don't believe we have an opportunity here. Or maybe you believe it has passed us by already. Maybe you believe the boys died on the first day or the third day. Drowned in the water or got sick or starved. But I've seen a shrine bloom in the jungle, filled with offerings. I've seen Buddhists, Christians, animists, heads bow in prayer. I've even bowed my own. Whatever you believe, believe in these boys."

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This drama reminded me that world isn't as hopeless as I thought!

“Tham Luang is a monster. Water is the enemy.”
But water wasn't the only enemy here. Because when it rains, it pours.

In a world where every other headline makes you lose faith in people, this felt different. This isn’t a story of corruption, greed or selfishness but what humanity is supposed to look like when we put aside ego and just do what we are supposed to. Watching it honestly felt like a reminder that, despite everything awful we see daily, humans are still capable of being extraordinary.

The series doesn’t just highlight the rescue mission , but also the collective efforts of everyone involved. I loved how the boys weren't just shown as victims and the rescuers as heros. Everyone and everything felt humane. From the governor refusing to give up even when the odds were impossible. Parents waiting with a patience that feels almost unreal, holding onto that hope. I can't even imagine the fear. The Navy SEALs and cave divers who put their lives on the line every single time they went into those tunnels. Doctors who flew in from across the world. Hydraulic engineers rerouting water systems. Even random Reddit engineers and people on social media throwing in ideas to help. Farmers not hesitating even once but about their livelihood. And those kids who had every reason to panic, but instead held onto their calm and their strength.

The cinematography ties all of this together beautifully. The caves don’t feel like props. At times they felt alive and suffocating. The water dripping through narrow tunnels, the claustrophobic walls pressing in...everything just felt so real.
I am sure the drama might have taken some creative liberty but I feel they did a good job in making me feel things.

This is one of those rare series where nitpicking feels pointless. The story itself is larger than any flaw.

For me, this is an easy 10/10 not only because it’s well made, but because it restores something we forget too often "Hope". Hope that when we have to, we can move mountains, drain caves and pull miracles straight out of the impossible. It left me a little bit shaken but very hopeful!

I would definitely recommend it 100% ! And will also recommend to keep a box of tissues on the side.

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Mixed review but its a good watch

My review would be a mixed one, I was very much excited about this drama and I'm a bit of a mess now.
I wish this series was more impactful and less draggy.
The whole emotion which started was very good, Beam was fantastic and I felt sad knowing that he is no more (RIP), His role as Coach was very good. His perseverance and backstory were an essential part and he executed them so well.
The boys were awesome and everyone had their story to show and it was portrayed well.
Now what made me feel a bit let down was it was a bit draggy in between, I can understand one needs to show the procedure but it would have been more grippy, This one felt a bit off the chart, and The story narration was bumpy, abrupt and I could not take it along after 4th episode. It was hard to focus.
My love and admiration for the bravery of everyone including in this scary incident kept me going on.
Urassaya's role was a bit underwhelming, Her character was a fictional one which I felt was not needed, It gives an ode to those hydraulic engineers who were involved in helping the divers to regulate the water force. But, No matter what I felt a bit let down. Is it because I'm her die-hard fan and I've never seen her take this kind of supporting role? Maybe, So, I'm not dragging this as I feel it's something to do with me personally, Many would love her in this kind of role, But I felt it took the focus from the series from the boys somehow. I cannot explain but the role was not needed. Anyone could have played it.
Maybe, Urassaya wanted to support this series but I felt underwhelmed.
The script should have been more gripping as the real events were already there to help the writers but it somehow was not that impactful.
If I have to choose between this series and the documentary. I'll choose the latter.
Could have been great but it was not that much as per my expectations.

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Docu-series of a 2016 international rescue operation, showcasing the tenacity of man-kind

My very first Thai drama which I watched last year, and it was also the last drama I watched with my number one drama buddy – my mom.

This Thai documentary drama re-enacts the highly reported, arduous, and miraculous rescue operations for a group of Thai boys and their football coach who were trapped in a cave in June - July 2016, the tenacity of the trapped group to stay alive, and the rescuers to save the trapped group out of the complex, dark and submerged cave system.

It is a drama I used to encourage mom, and which mom embodied, and it will always remind me of mom’s tenacity and perseverance to fight to the end. And for this, the subjective rating is invaluable.

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emocionante

essa série é incrível e muito emocionante. eu não conhecia o caso antes de assistir a série e isso me deixou ainda mais sensível para continuar a série. as atuações são incríveis, não só dos "protagonistas" mas todo o cast consegue nos transmitir, exprimir o sentimento de desespero, de sobrevivência e empatia. é algo muito forte de se assistir mesmo que tenhamos um final "feliz", não podemos esquecer de um herói que se foi no meio do processo, infelizmente. para quem também não sabe o ator do professor faleceu e um dos garotos salvos também faleceu na vida real.

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Keep Holding On

I always find that with dramas or movies based on real life, no matter how dramatised they may be, there's no room to distinguish between fiction and fact. We're watching an event of someone else's life play out, and whatever emotions they elicit in the one watching, I imagine they felt every single one of those emotions magnified to a thousand going through it. And how much of the events were adapted and changed to be made feasible as a series, I don't know, but it also doesn't matter because this was a raw, emotional and hard hitting look at the Tham Luang Cave Rescue.

And while we could examine the narration or the acting in the series, I didn't feel any need to do that because at the end of the day, it was powered by emotion. The panic, the desperation, the loneliness, the tragedy, the sorrows, the joy, the relief, the companionship, the overwhelming wave of emotions that hit you while watching are incredibly powerful. They didn't cut corners showcasing those emotions, they were palpable and they pierced you. In a matter of life and death, you truly feel powerless, like fate is tossing you around and you have no control, and the narration made that incredibly clear.

It is in moments like these though, that you can see what the human spirit is actually capable of, and how human nature which can rear its ugly head more often than not, can sometimes be the best thing ever. This was the most beautiful thing about a story that was brutal and tragic, watching human beings put aside all other matters to come together for the 13 Wild Boars.

The people in charge of the rescue had to make difficult choices, sacrifices. They were sometimes put in situations where they essentially had to weigh the life of one person to another's, and I cannot begin to understand the torment they must have felt.

The thirteen team members who were trapped in the cave had no choice but to keep holding on, with no contact to the outside world and no way out, just waiting to see if someone would come to their rescue.

But they held on. All of them hold on. To whatever it was they had. Faith, trust, conviction, and hope. They held on with every fiber of their being, and it moved me to tears.

There was a quote in the series, by one of the kids on the team who said "Bravery doesn't mean you're not afraid, it just mean you keep moving forward despite your fear."
I've seen and heard that so many other times before I did here, but coming at the moment it, and the magnitude of the statement, no others were more meaningful than this one.

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Un fait divers bouleversant!

Nous connaissons tous l'histoire. Ou du moins, nous en avons déjà entendu parler. La fin, comment, pourquoi, qui survit et qui ne survit pas ne sont donc pas un mystère. Malgré tout, ce drama a su nous toucher, nous émouvoir et surtout nous angoisser comme pas possible. La réalisation est impeccable. Les images sont grandioses, l'ambiance humide et chaude de la Thailande est ressentie jusqu'au tréfonds du salon. Les images magnifiques du pays sont transcendés par des couleurs naturels nous donnant l'impression d'y être. La cave est étouffante à souhait et les quelques séquences dans l'eau angoissante, voire terrifiante. La manière dont nous est contée l'histoire est poignante, nous amenant à compatir tout d'abord pour ensuite ressentir la douleur des parents et la terreur des enfants, finalement, nous faire pleurer d'émotion. Chapeau.
Cette douleur de chaque parent confronté à un choix cornélien est magistralement interprétée par les acteurs et la justesse de leur expression et de leur jeu. Sincèrement, je ne sais pas si j'aurais eu le même courage que ces enfants, que ces parents. Ayant une sainte phobie de l'eau, je ne peux qu'imaginer l'horreur de se retrouver coincée et d'avoir à se retrouver sous l'eau à la merci des courants....
C'est un drama qui a su trouver le ton juste, tout dans la pudeur, afin de nous conter non pas les exploits de ces sauveteurs. Mais un conte sur ce que l'humain peut faire dans une situation où l'impossible sonne à tout bout de champ. C'est un monde bien triste actuellement. Et un tel don de soi de toutes ces personnes présents prêt à aider, un tel courage de ces enfants, c'est une lumière, une façon de nous dire que cela existe encore.

Merci pour ce beau drama.

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Real e desesperador

Um lakorn que acredito que retratou bem a montanha russa que foi esse acontecimento, o desespero dos pais por não poder fazer nada e dos profissionais tentando achar uma solução onde todos ficassem bem.
Tiveram momentos onde a esperança mudou para o desespero, voltava para a esperança apenas para ser novamente deslocada pelo pessimismo e pela angústia, assim como as águas da enchente que não parava de subir e tornavam o resgate das crianças tão perigoso.

'Thai Cave Rescue' é uma produção detalhada sobre esse resgate emocionante na caverna Tham Luang, confesso que em uns momentos minha claustrofobia gritava 😅

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