THE RESCUE: 2021 (We saw this film at a local theater, but it will soon be available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.) Prepare to be emotionally moved by this real-life nail-biting thriller. The Rescue is an inspiring, emotionally intense documentary about the 2018 rescue of a boys' soccer team in Thailand. The story began on June 23, 2018 when 12 young soccer players and their 25-year-old coach were trapped for weeks in a flooded cave. They did not realize that a fast-approaching monsoon season was about to get an early start. Sudden rains dumped six inches of rain per hour on the area. Rising floodwaters trapped the boys and their coach deep in the cave’s passageways. The Rescue builds phenomenal tension even when most people watching the documentary already know how it all ends. The story was covered internationally, and it was the perfect human interest story, with tension over the boys’ fates rising along with the level of the flood water. The cave system, over 6 miles long, posed many challenges to rescue efforts, and waiting for the flood waters to recede was not an option since the team had neither food nor warm clothing. The story of the film was not that they survived, but how the rescue was carried out, and the many obstacles facing the rescue team. An international team involving 5,000 people, including over 100 divers from multiple countries was involved in the effort to get the boys to safety. It is a powerful documentary that received 97% from critics and 100% audience score. Both Barbara and I needed Kleenex to make it through the final frames of this dazzling struggle. GRADE A