Review of The Impossible (2012) by Brett C — 14 Jan 2014

I had high expectations for this film as it looked like something that would be nominated for Best Picture or something just as prestigious. When the awards came, it did not get enough praise as I thought it would. So my expectations of this film was a little lower coming in, now that I have finally seen it, I am baffled on this film not being regarded as one of the best films of 2012.

The film's plot is that this British family who lives in Japan, who decides to take a Christmas holiday in Thailand and a tsunami hits the holiday resort which forces them to be separated form one another. Screenplay written by Sergio Sanchez, who also did the screenplay of J.A Bayona's previous film The Orphanage, is an amazing story of family and resiliency. The strongest area of the film is the event of the tsunami and, Maria and Lucas' attempt to find each other. It's really powerful and moving. The latter half of the film may not be as strong and frightening as the first half but it still works as the aftermath of the event on this family.

I have a feeling that in the future, we are all going to see a lot Juan Antonio Bayona's films being critically acclaimed and receiving awards. He knows how to create something so shocking without making it feel unfamiliar. We all see injuries and pain everyday but not like this. I cringed a couple of times on the gashes that are found on people. He wanted to make the event to feel heavy and really see the impact it has on the family, whether it's emotional or physical trauma. The disaster scene alone was suspenseful and felt that maybe someone won't make it. Bayona doesn't want the CGI effects of this film to feel too ambitious or too flashy and just focusing on making it feel real. The ending was predictable but after what these people have just went through it's acceptable.

Beautiful. Simply Gorgeous. The way Oscar Faura captured Thailand before and after the incident are done so well that it sometimes dominates the scene. The lighting feels very natural and doesn't at any point become too forced or artificial. Even cramped and intimate moments in the hospital or the plane works. There will be at times where the camera feels shaky but I felt that it was tamed well and doesn't feel at all distracting.

A lot of the people working on this film has worked with Guillermo Del Toro productions before and I think that's what makes the film work at times as the crew know each other and knows each others abilities. Fernando Velazquez is the film's composer and I am familiar with his recent film Mama, also produced by Guillermo Del Toro. The Impossible's score at the start is subtle but as the drama elevates, his score becomes bigger. I did not really took notice of the score's presence at times as it has been outshone by fantastic cinematography and amazing acting performances.

Everybody in this film was great, in particular Naomi Watts. You really see it in her performance that everything that just happened hit her like a wave, don't mind the pun, and makes her vulnerable emotionally as well as physically. There was a beautiful scene with her, her son and this young boy they were able to save and the boy caresses her hair as a way of saying thank you, this scene shows the best in her acting as she didn't need to say anything and yet so much about her character is said with a single smile. Ewan McGregor was good but I felt didn't carry it as much as Watts did but nevertheless great. How Bayona was able to get something great in the children's acting was beyond me because they were fantastic.

One of the best films of 2012, probably just under my favorite Silver Linings Playbook, and is deserving of much more praise than it currently has. Strong performances from the actors and moving drama made this film unforgettable. Bayona has made a film that shows the other filmmakers out there he is a force to be reckon with. I am excited to see what he is going to make next and hopefully it's as beautifully crafted as this one.