This. film. is. incredible! I felt like at the beginning I took a deep breath and didn't breathe again until the credits rolled!
Based on the true life story of Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry Belon (Ewan McGregor) along with their three children who, whilst on holiday in Thailand, survived the earthquake and tsunami of Boxing Day 2004. The Impossible is well deserving of it's critical acclaim and unending 5 star ratings.
Much has been discussed around this release about the ethics of capitalising on such a disaster; but this film was perfectly made and brings home the humanity of this type of suffering. Yes, the director made the creative decision to tell the story of rich white, English speaking tourists (the original family were Spanish) and the plot was obviously manipulated for effect in places, but it does a good job of displaying the scale of the devastation.
So often I think we can see disasters like this on TV, on our news screens, in the papers and recognise the tragedy but still remain disconnected from the utter devastation and ruination of hundreds of thousands of lives, both claimed and forever changed by natural disasters. This film addresses that. It forces its viewers into a position where they are powerless to help the victims and must be content with watching their suffering and anguish play out in front of them, praying it will be ok- but knowing that for so many people that day there was no happy ending.
I cried, I watched through gaps in my fingers, I gasped, I winced, I even retched in one place and in the end I left the cinema, feeling like I had been through an ordeal, but also feeling a little more connected to the suffering of people on the other side of the world to me. That is the beauty of good art!
#1
Film: The Impossible
Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Released: January 2012
Cinema: QFT
Based on the true life story of Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry Belon (Ewan McGregor) along with their three children who, whilst on holiday in Thailand, survived the earthquake and tsunami of Boxing Day 2004. The Impossible is well deserving of it's critical acclaim and unending 5 star ratings.
 |
| #1 The Impossible |
Much has been discussed around this release about the ethics of capitalising on such a disaster; but this film was perfectly made and brings home the humanity of this type of suffering. Yes, the director made the creative decision to tell the story of rich white, English speaking tourists (the original family were Spanish) and the plot was obviously manipulated for effect in places, but it does a good job of displaying the scale of the devastation.
So often I think we can see disasters like this on TV, on our news screens, in the papers and recognise the tragedy but still remain disconnected from the utter devastation and ruination of hundreds of thousands of lives, both claimed and forever changed by natural disasters. This film addresses that. It forces its viewers into a position where they are powerless to help the victims and must be content with watching their suffering and anguish play out in front of them, praying it will be ok- but knowing that for so many people that day there was no happy ending.
I cried, I watched through gaps in my fingers, I gasped, I winced, I even retched in one place and in the end I left the cinema, feeling like I had been through an ordeal, but also feeling a little more connected to the suffering of people on the other side of the world to me. That is the beauty of good art!
#1
Film: The Impossible
Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Released: January 2012
Cinema: QFT
No comments:
Post a Comment