The Impossible (2012)

The story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Director:

J.A. Bayona

Writers:

Sergio G. Sánchez, María Belón (story)

Stars:

Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 28 wins & 68 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Naomi Watts	...	Maria
Ewan McGregor	...	Henry
Tom Holland	...	Lucas
Samuel Joslin	...	Thomas
Oaklee Pendergast	...	Simon
Marta Etura	...	Simone
Sönke Möhring	...	Karl
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Old Woman
Ploy Jindachote	...	Caregiver
Jomjaoi Sae-Limh	...	Red Cross Nurse
Johan Sundberg	...	Daniel
Jan Roland Sundberg	...	Daniel's Father
La-Orng Thongruang	...	Old Thai Man
Tor Klathaley	...	Young Thai Man
Douglas Johansson	...	Mr. Benstrom

Storyline

A regular family - Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three kids - travel to Thailand to spend Christmas. They get an upgrade to a villa on the coastline. After settling in and exchanging gifts, they go to the pool, like so many other tourists. A perfect paradise vacation until a distant noise becomes a roar. There is no time to escape from the tsunami; Maria and her eldest are swept one way, Henry and the youngest another. Who will survive, and what will become of them?

---

Plot Keywords:

2004 indian ocean earthquake and tsunami | year 2004 | disaster film | disaster | tidal wave | 

---

Taglines:

One family's incredible true story.

---

Genres:

Drama | History | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Naomi Watts's Best Actress Oscar-nominated performance was the only one in the category not in a Best Picture nominee that year.

---

Goofs

When Lucas is speaking with the Swedish man who is desperately trying to find his son, he grabs a pen and starts writing the boy's name with his left hand but in the next shot he is writing with his right hand.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: On December 26th, 2004, the deadliest tsunami on record hit the South East Coast of Asia. The lives of countless families all over the world changed forever. This is the true story of one of those families.

---

Crazy Credits

The title and the rest of the credits do not appear until the end of the film. The only credits that appear at the beginning are the production companies' logos and an explanation of how the Tsunami came about.

---

Connections

Featured in 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2013)

---

Soundtracks

Iylm
Composed and Performed by For Fiesta
Voice by Lluís Segura (as Lluís Segura)
Guitar by Marc Prades
Solo Guitar by Marc Gómez del Moral
Bass by David Gallart
Drums by Bernat Vilaplana

User Reviews

An amazing story, but some questions about the telling

Amazing effects and stunts, along with and solid performances balance out some artistic lapses and ethical questions in this true story of one family's experiences of the horrendous Tsunami that killed 300,000.

The downsides; there's something a little off-putting about choosing a white, privileged family as a focus, while at the same time showing almost exclusively other white people as suffering and afraid in a disaster that killed far more local people than tourists. The Thai's are certainly shown in a good light, kindly helping all these suffering whites, but even in the hospital, almost every face we see in a bed is a white one. That hint of odd racial insensitivity is also underlined by replacing the original family, who were Spanish and dark, and making them into a gorgeous blond English family, a telling choice in a 'true' story.

On a more general level, the film can feel manipulative, from the tear jerking score, to the multiple carefully framed "will they spot each other?" shots that feel like a horror film's self-conscious suspense fames, but that cinematic technique feels distractingly artificial in this more naturalistic setting.

There's no question it's exciting and at times quite moving, but I couldn't help thinking I might have felt even more deeply if it wasn't pushing so hard to control my emotions.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Spain Thailand USA

Language:

English Thai Swedish

Release Date:

4 January 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Impossible

Filming Locations:

Khao Lak Orchid Beach Resort, Phang Nga, Thailand

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$143,818, 23 December 2012

Gross USA:

$19,019,882

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$198,087,212

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mediaset España, Summit Entertainment, Apaches Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1