"The Impossible" presents the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in such an realistic way that audiences may ponder the events in the movie long after the credits stop rolling. The film depicts the experience of one family's plight during the tsunami, which consist of María (Naomi Watts) and Enrique Belón (Ewan McGregor) and their three sons Lucas (Tom Holland), Tomas (Samuel Joslin) , and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast). All five members of the family were vacationing for Christmas at a Thailand resort when the tsunami hit. Watts has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in the film. "The Impossible" can be seen at the Bow Tie Cinemas in Hartford, CT.
The film tells three different stories of the family once they are split up when the tsunami hits. María and Lucas take the lead as the major story line. Lucas is forced to grow up very early as he searches to find medical treatment for his badly injured mother. Watts gives a fine performance but it is really Tom Holland who deserves Academy attention for his work in the film. His pain and fear seems so horrifically real that is is easy to forget that he's just acting. McGregor also does fantastic work in the second major section as Enrique frantically searching for María and Lucas. The last bit of the film focuses on Tomas and Simon as they are left behind when their father goes to look for the rest of the family.
"The Impossible" is not among the Best Picture nominees this year and that's a fair assessment of the film.It is a moving portrayal of one family's fight for survival but there is still something missing to make this movie a great film. Perhaps the acting is too good, covering up for a somewhat lackluster script. Still, "This Impossible" is one of the better films to come out this year and it is worth seeing if only for the amazing performances from nearly everyone in the film.
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