Review of The Impossible (2012) by Wayne K — 05 May 2017

Providing a brutally realistic depiction of the horrific 2004 Asian tsunami, The Impossible's biggest flaw is its overzealous attempts at drawing out it audience's tears. With the plinky-plonky piano playing and the over-egged orchestral score, it might as well rip out your tear ducts and milk them until they're dry.

It succeeds in engaging our emotions best when it doesn't try so hard, and it's easy to empathise with all our leads, both of whom are beautifully played and thoroughly convincing. The disaster scenes and subsequent struggle are filmed and assembled so well that you feel every single wound and gasp for breath.

Naomi Watt's proves why she's one of this generations finest actresses. Despite spending most of her time lying on a hospital bed, she conveys a genuine love for her family, and how she's clinging onto the last remnants of life just to see them reunited.

Ewan McGregor, while not getting as much attention, makes the most of his time on camera, and even the child actors are pretty spectacular. It sticks very close to reality, and the tidal wave scenes are truly incredible.

It may lean far too heavily on melodrama, but for a chance to witness a microcosm of one of this centuries worst natural disasters, The Impossible is a phenomenal experience, both visually and emotionally.