Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Impossible Strikes an Emotional Chord



The Impossible was incredibly moving and brought me closer to tears than any movie has in a very long time.  Focusing on the incredible true story of a family on vacation at a resort in Thailand during the 2004 tsunami caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake, the film was both visually striking and superbly portrayed by veteran actors Naomi Watts and Ewen McGregor.  Watts plays Maria Bennet who is separated with her eldest son Lucas from her husband Henry (played by McGregor) and her youngest two sons when the first wave slams into their resort one morning as the family is enjoying time by the pool.  The film successfully captures the horror of that initial moment when peace and serenity is shattered and chaos ensues.  After being swept away and horrendously injured in more ways than one, Maria and Lucas are faced with making their way to safety and attempting to make sense of what has just happened.  The film keeps you on the edge of your seat as you watch the different members of the family come so close to finding each other only to just miss each chance encounter.  For anyone who’s been on any sort of family tropical vacation, the movie really hits home.  It’s incredibly easy to superimpose yourself and your family over the Bennet's which makes the intense emotions conveyed all the more real.  In addition, the film really showcases the disaster in a way which I feel was both accurate and mind-blowing at the same time.  The gravity of the situation is incredibly apparent and makes the viewer feel as though they are another survivor being swept along with the family.  Overall, the film was simply fantastic and Watt’s Academy Award nomination was well deserved.

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