The Impossible (2012)

The Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 was one of the most shocking events ever witnessed (in my lifetime and in my opinion). I can remember stumbling upon it while channel surfing and at that moment the whole world stopped as the images unfolded on the TV. I remember when we were kids in school, in geography class, and we were learning about natural disasters, the 80's did not facilitate this kind of access to live images, to youtube and social media, all of a sudden the event was a global event and we were involved as the situation continued to develop.

News media was changed as the situation and tragedy continued to unfold, as more and more footage and stories became available (largely thanks to the leap in technology that had occurred), as the death toll numbers continued to climb. There was information overload as we absorbed the sheer breadth of the tragedy.

The Impossible drills down within the tragedy and focuses on the telling of a single families story. 

The Impossible is an English speaking Spanish Production, an adaptation of the factual story of the Belón family who were holidaying in Khao Lak, Thailand and their journey through one of the worst natural disasters in history - some details have been changed in the telling, and it's quite okay, the message and story is universally relevant, so the fact that the family has become a British one with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as the parents is acceptable.

Naomi Watts is the well-deserved Oscar Nominated party of The Impossible, and she is fast becoming an acting force to be reckoned with - nice to know that she has moved passed her turn as Jet Girl in Tank Girl (No kidding, that's her!!! - although if I am to be 100% honest, I am a Tank Girl fan).

The Impossible is an emotional and graphic journey, a brilliant piece of historical re-enactment, the movie thrusts you right into the center of the chaos we can only imagine, the telling is profoundly different from the footage we have already seen as there is an emotional quotient made available by investing your viewing time in a family in the midst of the event. The movie thankfully makes a point of not sugar-coating the horror of the event without assaulting you as you watch, but it does play to the intrinsic need for hope and belief in times of horror. 

There was a time when disaster movies were the big money makers - Dante's Peak, Twister, 2012 - it is refreshing and somewhat comforting that there is a real-life telling that is equally large in scope, with as much impact and edge of your seat, talking at the screen, hectic "thrills" as the fake blockbusters. Now I acknowledge that first and foremost this movie is a product, so it's primary purpose is to make money, but it's money well spent, when you consider how much time we have invested as consumers in fake characters in impossible fake situations - this is The Impossible situation which real people faced, this is their journey. 

This is a must watch movie, one of the best I have seen recently (and I have watched it more than once, sharing the love with others, it is that good).

This is the 2nd movie watched from the 85th Academy Awards, and the 28th Oscar Nominated movie I have watched since I started this blog.

nuff said...