Character Relationship Map: Alive

Characters

• Roberto Canessa (played by Josh Hamilton) — protagonist

  A medical student among the rugby travelers, Roberto Canessa helps treat injured survivors after the crash and later joins Nando Parrado and Antonio Vizintín in searching for a route out of the Andes....

• Carlitos Páez (played by Bruce Ramsay) — protagonist

  A member of the rugby team and a surviving passenger, Carlitos Páez appears in the opening and closing reflections about the disaster. He reminds Nando Parrado that any escape attempt requires food, w...

• Nando Parrado (played by Ethan Hawke) — supporting

  Nando Parrado survives a serious head injury and awakens to learn that his mother, Eugenia Parrado, has died and his sister Susana Parrado is fatally injured. After Susana dies, he insists on finding...

• Juan Martino (played by Michael Woolson) — minor

  Juan Martino joins Gustavo Zerbino and Rafael Cano in searching the wreckage and surrounding area for the aircraft's tail, hoping to recover batteries for the radio. His role is part of the survivors'...

• Gustavo Zerbino (played by David Kriegel) — supporting

  Gustavo Zerbino is a medical student who helps Roberto Canessa care for the injured after the crash. He later joins Rafael Cano and Juan Martino in searching the wreckage for the aircraft's tail and r...

• Rafael Cano (played by Michael DeLorenzo) — minor

  Rafael Cano helps Antonio Balbi and Roy Harley block the damaged end of the fuselage during the first night. He later joins Gustavo Zerbino and Juan Martino in searching for the plane's tail and batte...

• Roy Harley (played by Kevin Breznahan) — supporting

  Roy Harley is one of the survivors who helps Antonio Balbi and Rafael Cano block the open end of the fuselage against the wind. Because he is believed to have electrical experience, he is taken to the...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Roberto Canessa → Nando Parrado (related)
• Nando Parrado → Roberto Canessa (related)
• Carlitos Páez → Juan Martino (Alliance Survivor Ally) — Their shared ordeal links the narrator with the rescue team.

  Carlitos Páez and Juan Martino are included among the survivors, while Juan joins the search for the aircraft tail.

• Carlitos Páez → Rafael Cano (Alliance Survivor Ally) — They are connected through the collective survival effort.

  Carlitos Páez and Rafael Cano remain part of the survivor group, and Rafael participates in the search for the aircraft tail.

• Carlitos Páez → Gustavo Zerbino (Alliance Survivor Ally) — Their relationship is grounded in shared survival within the group.

  Carlitos Páez and Gustavo Zerbino are both identified among the survivors enduring starvation, the avalanche, and the rescue wait.

• Juan Martino → Roy Harley (Alliance Survivor Teammate) — Their roles support the same attempt to contact rescuers.

  Juan Martino joins the search for the tail, and Roy Harley is recruited for the subsequent radio-repair effort.

• Rafael Cano → Roy Harley (Alliance Survivor Teammate) — Both contribute distinct skills to the shared rescue plan.

  Rafael Cano participates in the wreckage search, while Roy Harley is later taken to the tail to work on the radio for the survivors.

• Gustavo Zerbino → Roy Harley (Alliance Technical Mission Ally) — Their connection is formed through the group's attempt to restore communication.

  After the search team finds the tail, Roy Harley is brought there to see whether he can fix the radio.

• Roberto Canessa → Roy Harley (Alliance Rescue Mission Ally) — Roberto relies on Roy's technical skills during the radio-repair attempt.

  The expedition team returns to the fuselage to bring Roy Harley to the aircraft tail because he is thought to have electrical experience.

• Roberto Canessa → Carlitos Páez (Alliance Survival Ally) — They belong to the survivor community facing the same escalating threats.

  Both Roberto Canessa and Carlitos Páez remain among the survivors who debate rationing, cannibalism, and escape from the mountains.

• Rafael Cano → Juan Martino (Alliance Search Teammate) — Their cooperation is part of the survivors' collective rescue effort.

  Rafael Cano and Juan Martino are explicitly named as members of the team searching for the aircraft tail.

• Gustavo Zerbino → Juan Martino (Alliance Expedition Teammate) — They share responsibility for locating equipment that might restore communication.

  Gustavo Zerbino, Rafael Cano, and Juan Martino set off together to search for the plane's tail.

• Gustavo Zerbino → Rafael Cano (Alliance Expedition Teammate) — They cooperate during an early wreckage search.

  Gustavo Zerbino and Rafael Cano join a search team that looks for the aircraft tail and radio batteries.

• Roberto Canessa → Gustavo Zerbino (Alliance Medical Teammate) — They combine medical knowledge to support the injured group.

  Both Roberto Canessa and Gustavo Zerbino are medical students who aid injured survivors after the crash.

Story Analysis

A group of crash survivors transforms grief, starvation, and isolation into collective endurance and a desperate search for rescue.

Plot Progression

1. Flight Into Disaster — The rugby team travels toward Chile with excitement before the aircraft collides with the Andes. The survivors begin treating injuries and securing the wreckage.
2. Hope Before Silence — The survivors organize shelter and ration scarce food while hoping passing aircraft have noticed them. Their optimism collapses when the rescue search is abandoned.
3. Buried Alive — Starvation leads to a painful decision about consuming the dead. An avalanche then kills more survivors and traps the remainder inside the fuselage.
4. The Failed Signal — Search parties locate the aircraft tail but cannot restore the radio. Continuing deaths make clear that an independent escape attempt is necessary.
5. Walking Toward Rescue — An escape party crosses the Andes and alerts authorities to the survivors' location. Helicopters finally reach the crash site, followed by a memorial for the dead.