A woman sits down next
to young Lucas, one of the members of his family to survive the
tsunami that shook Thailand on Boxing Day 2004. They gaze at the
stars and she tells him that some of the stars are still alive and
some of them died thousands of years ago, but their light travels
longer than they live. When Lucas asks how you can tell, out of so
many stars in the sky, which ones are alive and which have died, she
tells him honestly that there is no way to tell; it is impossible.
The Impossible
tells the true story of the Bennett family who are on vacation in
Thailand and are swept away by the Tsunami right from the back yard
of their vacation resort and separated from one another. They have to
find ways to survive, not knowing who is still alive and who is not.
It is a sweeping emotional epic and shook me in a way that I have not
experienced in the theatre for a long time.
The film starts off
quite tranquil, much like the family's vacation no doubt. We're given
a sense of the characters and just enough time to come to like them
before things get chaotic. In fact, I almost wish that one could go
into the movie not knowing that it's a natural disaster picture so
that when it happens it is a shocking twist rather than an
inevitability. But of course, people want to know what movies are
actually about before going to see them so that would be hard to pull
off. That being said, when the tsunami approaches, it was an
extremely effective portion of the movie. But I would encourage
people to not watch the trailer because I feel there are some reveals
in the film that are spoiled from it and to go in with some element
of mystery would have made my watching the movie even better.
Back to the tsunami.
That was an incredible spectacle to behold. No splattering horror
film could prepare you for these scenes. This is a real life horror
and the idea that real people were caught in it makes it all the more
disturbing. One has to give major credit to the special effects team
behind the disaster. I think from this side of the world it is easy
to see something on the news and think it's devastating, but be able
to turn off the news and carry on with our lives relatively
unaffected. What director Juan Antonio Bayona and team achieve is
putting you in the eyes of the victims, and in the heart of the
overwhelming chaos the waves create.
What makes this film
even better is that I think that it shows the victims of this
relatively recent event a fair amount of respect. I won't say who
lives and who dies in the film, but it doesn't unfairly show us a
happy story of survivors without also having us take in the losses of
countless others. It is based off a true story after all, and it
wouldn't be true without the moments we see of loss and mourning from
many other survivors.
But at the same time,
while this is a very emotional film, it does not focus on tragedy.
After watching it, I did not feel emotionally drained and
discouraged. In fact, it is a story that reaffirms faith in either a
higher power or the compassion of humanity. It is not a story of
sadness without a sense of hope and I think that is one of the most
important aspects of this film. It does warm the heart and inspire
the soul. I think it important to see the kind of film where people
genuinely struggle and overcome adversity which, yes I know, can
describe almost every screenplay ever written, but in this case it is
far more real and of epic proportions.
Naomi Watts plays Maria
and gives an Oscar calibre performance, particularly while in the
midst of the disaster and fortunately she has been given a
nomination. She and her eldest son Lucas (Tom Holland) are being
swept away by the wave and unable to reach one another. It is as
distressing to watch as it sounds. Unjustly, Holland hasn't been
overly acknowledged for his performance in this movie, though I feel
it is one of the finest performances from a new actor I've seen in a
long time. Ewan McGregor also does an amazing job as Henry and hasn't
been given the credit that I feel he's due. In fact, I can't help but
feel that this whole movie isn't getting the attention it deserves.
It only had a small number of Oscar nods and I thought it was better
than a number of the best picture nominations. There is a perfectly
good best picture empty slot which could have been filled with this
film. To not do so seems insulting to me, but it's too late now.
The Impossible
is some amazing film making. I have to confess that there were
portions of the movie that moved me to tears and it didn't even feel
like that is what the film makers were trying to accomplish. You
know, sometimes you know that they're gunning real hard to make
people cry. The visuals and the story itself were so moving and
emotionally stirring that it couldn't be helped. It never felt false
or forced. It just lets you experience the disaster and feel the
losses and gains of those who survived. And if a film can show us a
glimpse of someone else's life and alter our perspective just enough
to make us a little more grateful for our own, then that is something
worth celebrating.
5 Stars
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