‘The Impossible’ is impossible to forget

The harrowing story at the center of The Impossible, the new drama directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, is almost impossible to comprehend. The 2004 tsunami that plagued Indonesia and took the lives of more than 200,000 people is one of the worst natural disasters in history. The earthquake hit. The water began to rise. Families were strewn about like rag dolls.

Bayona’s film, based on a true account, never over-sentimentalizes the human drama. The story focuses on Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry (Ewan McGregor) as they enjoy a Christmas vacation with their three sons in this beautiful exotic locale. They’re taking in the sunshine and enjoying one another’s company at the pool when the waves start to come. Almost immediately, the family is torn apart, scattered among the wet debris.

We follow Maria and her son Lucas (Tom Holland) as they cling to trees and scream their way to safety. Watching their ordeal is frightening. Maria’s body is tossed around and she’s bleeding bad from a deep wound. Her eldest son takes on the “adult” role and starts to care for his mother. They pick up a crying toddler and attempt to make connections with the local people, who are more than happy to offer a helpful hand.

After the initial scenes of carnage, Maria and Lucas wind their way through the disorganized system of triage and makeshift hospitals in Indonesia. Are her husband and two other sons alive? Will she outlast the infection? What happened? Is this the end of the world?

Watts turns in a powerful performance, one that is truly worthy of an Oscar nomination. She holds tight to her son, knowing that the tsunami has forever changed their lives. They break down barriers between mother and child, simply becoming two survivors with a joint mission.

The visuals of the movie are stunningly real. From the waves that hit the shoreline to the panoramic devastation, The Impossible looks like a blockbuster disaster film, the creation of fantasy writers. This couldn’t be real, could it?

The movie also offers a unique argument on the choice to focus on a “tourist” family, rather than an Indonesian family. There is an odd feeling throughout the two-hour feature of being separated from the local communities, as if Maria and Lucas are the only survivors worth following. Their helpers remain nameless. Sometimes even their local language doesn’t receive the dignity of subtitles so we know what they’re saying. This push-pull between appreciation for the finely focused film and confusion over the absence of the local population creates an interesting dynamic. We come to learn of this devastating tsunami, which killed an unbelievable number of people, by following the plight of five outsiders. That’s a bold move — one that works, but also feels too simplistic.

Sergio G. Sánchez’s screenplay is able to include several softer moments to the overall mayhem. We come to hope for these characters by watching their facades slowly crumble. We feel a connection with their turmoil and demand their safe rescue. They deserve to live — as does the hundreds of thousands of affected people who call this paradise home.

The Impossible is that rare Hollywood film that uses genre devices in an exquisitely real context. The visual effects and storytelling devices are not meant to showcase the devastation, but to simply tell the truth.

This happened. This happened. This happened. Don’t forget it.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• The Impossible

• 2012

• Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona

• Written by Sergio G. Sánchez; based on the story by María Belón

• Starrring Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland

• Running time: 114 minutes

• Rated PG-13 for intense disaster sequences, including disturbing injury images and brief nudity

• Rating: