The Impossible
(Spain, 114 min.)
Dir. J.A. Bayona, Writ. Sergio G. Sánchez, story: Maria
Belon
Starring: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel
Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, and Geraldine Chaplin.
On December 26th, 2004, a colossal tsunami ripped
through the Indian Ocean and devastated South East Asia. Over 300 000 people
died, thousands more were declared missing, and an innumerable amount of people
were affected by this natural disaster. The
Impossible is the true story of one family that happened to be vacationing
in Thailand for Christmas 2004. Their life-changing journey is a moving tale of
hope, courage, and survival. We already know the outcome of their narrative
before the film even begins, yet The
Impossible is a gripping, suspenseful, and ultimately uplifting experience.
A few feet above water might not have made a significant
difference, however, since virtually everyone in the resort seems to be
lounging at the pool on the fateful sunny afternoon of December 26. Henry (Ewan
McGregor) is tossing a ball in the water the boys while Maria catches some sun
and reads a book. The giant wave arrives out of nowhere and is signalled only
by an eerie rumbling silence interrupted by a swarm of fleeing birds.
The tsunami approaches the resort with rapid speed. Like the
awesome opening sequence of Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter, a large wall of water gushes at Maria and her family in
an almighty rampage. Director J.A. Bayona, however, cuts away from the money
shot and escapes the spectacle just as soon as Maria blacks out.
Maria awakens in a spectacularly staged sequence in which she
reconnects with Lucas within the rushing waters brought in by the flood. The
riveting scene boasts some impressive visual work and choreography—it’s the
kind of lifelike disaster that made James Cameron’s Titanic such a thrilling experience—and it provides an effective
segue into the aftermath of the tsunami.
The Impossible opts
for emotional realism rather than a special effects extravaganza: the thrill of
the film comes not from seeing the family struggle to survive the storm, but
from trying to reconnect in the wreckage. Bayona, who directed the chilling
2007 ghost story The Orphanage, shows
that there is nothing more horrifying than a family torn apart. As Maria and
Lucas cling to life together, they know nothing of the whereabouts or status of
Henry, Thomas, or Simon. Driven primarily by the strength of the performances
by Watts and Holland in the lead roles, The
Impossible is an intense emotional experience. Watts, in a mostly physical
performance, invests a near exhausting degree of pain and heartache into her character.
McGregor is also excellent in the smaller role of Henry, who is perhaps the
most optimistic searcher in the film. Finally, The Impossible boasts a trio of impressive performances by the
three young actors, with Holland being a particular standout. Like Quvenzhané
Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild,
Holland shows that no actor is too young to tackle a role of mature dramatic
heft. Thanks to the strong players in this character-driven adventure, The Impossible culminates with powerful
catharsis. There isn’t a false note to the sentimentality of the family’s
reunion.
Bayona also extends the plight beyond the family, often
panning around and zooming out to show countless victims of the disaster, as
well as the devastation the tsunami had upon the land. The film expands beyond
the family particularly well in one poignant scene in which the kids encounter
an elderly woman finding solace in a campfire. Played by the great Geraldine
Chaplin, the woman is clearly not as fortunate as the family of tourists is.
The woman, noticeably wrought with grief, tells the boys about the importance
of finding hope in the face of such tragedy.
This inspiring tale could be any family’s story, really. The Impossible seems to underscore this sense
by altering the actual family that inspired the film. In real life, the Alvarez
Belons are a Spanish family of five. In the film, they are a British family
that has settled in Japan. The script by Sergio G. Sánchez (with a story credit
to Maria Belon herself) almost makes a point of avoiding the exact mention of
the family’s homeland, with Watts masking her Australian accent with a British
inflection and with McGregor speaking in his natural Scottish brogue. Likewise,
the family’s last name seems elusive, aside from the letters that we see
scrawled on Maria’s arm as she lies on her hospital bed. It’s curious that the
nationality of a Spanish family was changed in a Spanish film, but the film
hardly suffers for it since the disaster touched the lives of so many others.
The Impossible
finds optimism in the unlikeliest of circumstances and grabs its audience with
its harrowing emotional odyssey. Bayona creates a disaster that seems
unflinching real thanks to top-notch, albeit sparingly used, visual effects,
and through notable work by the make-up and sound team. (The Impossible is only the second film to explore the new 3D sound
design.) Most effective of all, though, is the uncontrived poignancy that
ripples through this powerful film. This tsunami movie might seem like an odd release for
the holiday season, but it’s the kind of film that makes you want to go home and
spend time with the ones you love.
Rating: ★★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
The Impossible opens in Toronto December 21.
It opens in Ottawa January 11 at The ByTowne.
*Photos courtesy eOne Films