Review of The Impossible (2012) by Nightreviews — 21 Feb 2013

Driving on intense emotional pain, explicit physical human damage and unbearable scenarios of brutal tragedy and deep suffering, The Impossible is a truly independent disaster movie minus any Hollywood trans fat. Absent of absurd fantastical elements plaguing high-end disaster movies in Hollywood, The Impossible is a film which uses the real disaster of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and one family’s compelling true story of survival that surfaced cause of it. The Impossible may not be the best disaster movie ever made nor may it be the greatest parable for the strength of family and the bonds of community, but it sure as hell makes for one deeply satisfying emotional tale of endurance and hope. Re-Telling the story of Maria Belon’s family’s inexplicable survival, The Impossible is a retelling of one family’s journey during one of the worst natural disasters ever recorded. Belon, along with her husband, were vacationing in Thailand from their busy lives back home in Japan. Caught without any warning, Belon and her family held on long and hard enough to live to tell the tale of there family’s unbelievable tale of survival. Drenched with compelling special effects and outstanding stunt work, this was second in comparison to the stellar showcase of Naomi Watts’ acting range. Being in front of the camera the longest and having her story told for the majority of the movie, Watts was harrowing as an injured mother clinging on to her life for the sake of her children. Accompanied by one of the stand-out performances by a newcomer this year, Tom Holland who plays Watts’ son Lucas and her sole companion for the first half of the film, was completely on-point and the two were a dynamic acting duo. The two performances sparkled with life and ingenious moments of sheer beauty. Ewan McGregor did his best and held his own with what seemed like ridiculous plot-points for a father and very little screen time with two child actors (Oaklee Pendergast and Samuel Joslin) who were significantly overshadowed by Holland.

The film itself owes great credit to its sophomore director Juan Antonia Bayona, whose direction is strategically planned and appreciated throughout the film. Dealing with a narrative with so much room for emotional manipulation, Bayona masterfully paces the film and its stars for small yet powerful instances of truly great human feats.

The Impossible is a gut-wrentching and heart breaking marvel of a film. Layered with multiple challenges of the people who struggled to survive during a time of hardship and tragedy, The Impossible is a tale of true possible hope for the good in all people to shine. Challenging in not only content and the visuals it presents to the audience, the film is a challenge for people to accept and believe that good exists within everyone, especially during times of strife and extreme hardship. Physically challenging and magnificent, The Impossible is a true example of a small scale film doing it right with large scale heart.