The Impossible - "Lucas, do what you do best....help people"
The Impossible tells the true story of a tourist family visiting Khao Lak, Thailand a day before the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami decimated the pacific basin, killing thousands. Maria & Harry Bennett (Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor) are traveling from Japan to Thailand with their three young boys Lucas, Simon & Thomas (Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast) and arrive Christmas Eve the night before, something is most certainly off, a fundamental shift in the atmosphere starts ringing alarm bells for the audience. Suddenly people are engulfed in a mammoth wave sweeping the hotel and everyone in it into a damning situation.
Maria breaks the surface of the water to see her son Lucas floating down stream barely conscious and alone. The two struggle to swim to each other as they are constantly tossed around underwater by strong currents, flinging them off cars, trees & all sorts of dangerous debris. Maria sustains incredible injuries but she and her son manage to cling to each other and begin their long and suffering journey to the nearest hospital, not knowing whats happened to Henry, Simon & Thomas. It's clear why Naomi Watts was nominated for an Oscar, her performance is stunning, she is somehow gorgeous even though she's covered in blood and dirt, the way she evokes such emotional torment trying to get her son to safety is heartbreaking.
Lucas becomes Maria's lifeguard escorting her to the nearest hospital and helping anyone he can as he is still able bodied. The filmmakers use actual Tsunami survivors as the extras, almost everyone you see that isn't part of the core story was effected by the 2004 Tsunami. It's a film about the people showing human spirit conquering the impossible. Ewan McGregor snubbed by the Oscars gives one of his best performances to date. He has to make one the hardest decisions a parent could make, leave his two sons in a safe zone to continue looking for his wife and son in hospitals and shelters. His lonely performance is endearing and treacherous, hope fades fast as each hospital turns up empty.
The direction is spot on, the use of special effects for the tsunami scenes are flawless, it seemed so real, the wave was so visually impacting. The score by Fernando Velazquez is very powerful, this film wouldn't be half as successful if it wasn't for the subdued & resonating music. There has been some criticism over the change of nationality of the family who are originally Spanish, changed to British, possibly to reach a wider audience and to market it to the west, but even the real life Maria said it didn't matter because the story is essentially about people. A haunting watch but worth it if you can handle some squeamish moments. One of 2012's best films, highly recommended. 5/5
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