A family of five on vacation in Thailand undergoes the tragic tsunami of 2004.
Review:
I will start this review by stating that if you have not heard of this film or seen any advertisements for it, please review my summary and stop there. The trailer for this movie captured my attention and quickly disrupted it for the sake of so much exposition in it's almost 3 minute trailer. The entire story is in the trailer, much like many Hollywood blockbusters, and it leaves nothing to wonder. This being said, the film is everything I could possibly ask for in a drama.
The film The Impossible finds us following a family of two parents (played wonderfully by Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor) and their three boys as they go on a Christmas vacation to a beautiful beach resort in Thailand. There is a slight turmoil between the parents, as our father figure is constantly worried about work, and it seems to affect the mother and her children. This becomes a minor detail when we are dealt with the biggest natural disaster known to have struck Thailand: the tsunami(s). The family is at the foot of the disaster when it occurs, and there is an onslaught of terror and fear for most of the remainder of the film. This is all I will reveal, because it'd be a shame for anyone to know more before walking into the theater.
With some of the greatest cinematography on celluloid I have ever seen, it is incredibly hard to believe that this movie isn't a documentary. The display of the island they're vacationing on once the tsunami has taken its toll is breathtaking and captivating. You feel like you took part in the tsunami yourself, and are witnessing your home/world crumble around you. I felt incredibly uneasy and disturbed by some of the destruction/wounds/bodies that appear throughout the film. Quite frankly, there is enough hard-pressed gore and violence in this movie to shake even the toughest of horror fans (I myself winced more than enough times). One particular wound is the one Watts' character has on her leg, and her breast. The special effects and makeup team are incredibly on spot with this work.
A problem I found with the film, apart from its transparent trailer, was its need to bring tears to my eyes every 5 minutes or so. I honestly don't think I've been this emotionally involved in a film since 2007's Into the Wild. For the entire last 15 minutes, the waterworks were at play like a pair of dueling sprinklers, and my girlfriend (quite obviously) had it even worse than I did! It may be foolish to call this a problem, simply because if a movie isn't trying to move you emotionally, it's most likely not doing its job. But it just seemed like an onslaught of terrible/miraculous things happening at every minute was something I couldn't get used to. The fact that this is based off of a true personal account of a family who suffered this tragedy makes it all the scarier, and more eye-opening.
Please see this film. Regardless of critics, hearsay, or that guy at work who said it was a dumb disaster movie, please make your way to the theater/store and see it. I honestly feel like this could be an important piece of cinema down the line of Watts'/McGregor's career, and their children in the film are just as talented. I grew to care about all of these characters as if they were my own family over the course of the opening 10 minutes, something I am not particularly used to. It is vital that you see this movie if the tragedy has affected you in any way. I can't remember exactly where the quote came from, but a survivor of the tragedy who saw the film described it as "cathartic and resolving." I pursue you to see this film, or if you already have, please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts on it, because I'd love to see how this has affected people other than myself.
P.S. A review of the 2011 film Take Shelter is up next, I can't wait to tell everyone about it!
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