The Impossible

THE IMPOSSIBLE

Director : J.A Bayona

Year : 2013

Genre : Drama

Rating : *****

On Sunday 26th December 2004, the third largest earthquake ever recorded caused a series of horrific tsunami's to hit many of the coastlines of the Indian Ocean, killing over 250,000 people and causing over $14 billion in damage. While many perished, some lucky ones survived and 'The Impossible' tells the astonishing true story of one family, who against all the odds survived one of the deadliest natural disasters in history. Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and starring Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts, 'The Impossible' is a tremendously harrowing film that while extremely graphic and tense, is touching, optimistic and above all, life affirming.

Maria (Watts) and Henry (McGregor) decide to take their 4 young sons to Thailand for the Christmas period. After spending a few days in the tropical paradise, the unimaginable happens. A giant wave crashes into the coastline, destroying everything in it's path. Maria and one of her sons are swept away by the flooding and separated from the rest of their family while Henry and the other two younger sons are held up safe in a hotel. Miles apart from each other, 'The Impossible' chronicles how the two sections of a broken family endeavour to find each other against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Best known for the Goya winning 2007 horror film 'The Orphanage', Bayona proves that he is not only a master of creating genuinely thrilling cinema, but that he is also adept at directing emotion and anguish. From CGI filled scenes of utter annihilation to quiet scenes of tearful and heartfelt reunions, Bayona is able to  convey both horror and joy in equal measure. There are many scenes of death and destruction throughout the first half of the film and they are directed so well that many of them seem to be the actual amateur footage taken by tourists on that tragic day. With a sensible use of computer effects, non imposing camera angles and amazingly realistic portrayals of pain and suffering, Bayona should be commended for doing the almost impossible; creating a story of hope and joy amongst a devastating catastrophe. Normally many films would falter through these circumstances, but the characterisations, performances and direction are so expertly done that the family at the heart of the story stay as the focal point. One of the greatest things about 'The Impossible' is how Bayona shows that the Thai people really helped thousands that fateful day and that without them, many hundreds more may have died. Usually, films like this would fail to acknowledge this aspect of the story, but the director clearly shows us in black and white that when our people needed help, they were willing to give it.

As far as acting goes, 'The Impossible' showcases some of the best I have seen all year. Naomi Watts is just mesmeric as the mother of the family and her performance is in equal measures heartbreaking, touching and sorrowful. The anguish shown in her eyes is absolutely entrancing and added to this extraordinarily realistic makeup, Watts gives us one of the most sympathetic and engaging characters seen in recent cinema. Ewan McGregor is equally good as the father figure, whose desperation, dedication and drive is palpable all of the way through the running of 'The Impossible'. From the first moments of the film beginning, he is really the anchor of 'The Impossible' and it is his determination that makes the movie so human. However, while Watts and McGregor are brilliant, the real star of 'The Impossible' is 16 year old Tom Holland, who plays the eldest son of the family. It is through eyes with see most of the devastation and this allows Bayona to show us that when it comes down to it, both children and adults are exactly the same, with the same drive to survive and help our fellow man. Most famous for his role as Billy Elliott on stage, 'The Impossible' is Holland's film debut and hopefully based on his brilliant performance it won't be his last. Despite his age, he brings more to a scene than many trained actors do in 25 years in the film industry. From the scenes of him dragging his injured mother into a tree to the beautiful moments where he helps others to find their lost relatives in a seemingly endless hospital, Holland shows that age is no barrier when it comes to bringing extraordinary performances to the screen. The supporting cast are very good as well; from the two younger actors playing the brothers to the hundreds of extras playing victims of the killer wave, 'The Impossible' has little in terms of acting. The entire cast take their parts so seriously that they actually transcend acting out a part and every single performer in this film seems to be a real person caught in the chaos around them, rather than extra being paid to cry and scream.

Usually when films about real life natural disasters are made, there are thousands of complaints released by actual victims of the events, saying how unrealistic the way that the disaster was portrayed or how major aspects of the event are falsified. However upon it's release, 'The Impossible' was highly praised by those who were actually in Thailand on 26th December 2004. Commending Bayona for his brilliant direction and the cast for their astonishing performances, the victims of the tsunami say that the portrayal of the destruction is hauntingly realistic and that the characterisations given by both the main cast and the supporting cast are dead on. For someone who has never experienced destruction, pain or anguish like that in any way at all, I congratulate Bayona for making me feel as if I was on the beach when the tidal wave struck.

For her amazing performance, Naomi Watts was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actor's Guild Award and if 'Les Miserables' hadn't been eligible at the same time, I think that they she may well have won. Lord knows, it is about time that she was commended for her consistently fantastic characterisations from 'Mulholland Drive' to the highly maligned 'King Kong'. Tom Holland was also nominated for several gongs and Bayona won numerous Spanish film awards. Smashing it's $45 million budget, 'The Impossible' ended up on a lot of American critics best of 2012 lists. As the film was released in the UK in 2013, it is eligible for my best of the year countdown and let's just say, it will certainly appear in mine. Quite near the number one spot.

'The Impossible' is not an easy film to watch. It is consistently harrowing and traumatising and some scenes of injury and pain may be too much for some viewers. Reports of faintings and running out of cinemas were common on it's release and now having watched it, I can see exactly why. Please be wary of it's 15 certificate. However, the performances are fantastic, the special effects are jawdropping and the direction is simply perfect. I thoroughly recommend 'The Impossible' to anyone who loves engrossing stories, beautiful and awe inspring visions and Oscar calibre acting. Just make sure you have a box of tissues to hand when watching it. Or maybe two.




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