The haunting and unforgettable The Impossible
Director : Juan Antonio
Running time : 114 minutes
Cast : Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor
Reviewed by : Yvonnie Sundu
Sometimes we hear of films being based on true stories or actual events, but it is difficult to view The Impossible and not remember the real tsunami that struck Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004.
Those of us who recall it and the images we saw on TV know this was a real disaster, and Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona has brought to the screen a powerful, devastating, and truly life altering story of Maria Belon, a survivor of the disaster that struck her hotel in Khao Lak, Thailand.
A luminous Naomi Watts plays Maria Bennett, a doctor from the UK who is on vacation with her husband Henry (EwanMcGregor) and sons Lucas (Tom Holland), Thomas (Samuel Joslin), and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast). At first it seems like the most ideal vacation imaginable.
They enjoy the tranquil waves, the lovely resort, and each other’s company. They open Christmas presents and then release illuminated balloons into the starry night sky, everything seemingly perfect as can be.
The next day they are all sitting around the pool. Maria is reading a book, and suddenly she notices birds flying away quickly as the wind picks up. A page is ripped from her book, and she gets up to get it.
Her son Lucas runs to fetch an errant ball, while Henry and the other boys are in the pool. Palm trees start falling and then out of nowhere a huge wave changes life as they know it forever.
Maria and her eldest son Lucas are swept away in the water. Bayona focuses on this one story instead of trying to encompass the widespread destruction and devastation of so many people and families.
In doing so Maria and Lucas’s story is a microcosm of the loss of so many.
