Hope and Strength

Here’s a confession: I don’t usually cry during movies.  I’m not sure why it is.  I’ve been emotionally moved by movies, but I’ve always been more of a “crying because of a book” type of girl. The Impossible, however, made me cry like a baby.  That is how powerful this movie is.  Which is why, despite having discussed Naomi Watts in our “Forgotten Few” post, I’m talking about the movie again as one of my favorite of 2012.

The Impossible  is based on the remarkable true story of a family who experienced the devastating tsunami in 2004 while they were on holiday.  The family is separated after the wave, with Maria and Lucas (the mother and oldest son) together while Henry (the father) finds Simon and Thomas (the younger children).  Throughout the film, they are not sure who is still alive, but they do not lose hope.  Maria pushes on for her son, Lucas shows fortitude for his mother, and Henry refuses to stop looking for the rest of his family. The Impossible is a movie about the capacity for human survival.  How, against all odds, sometimes people possess an unknown strength to face unforeseeable circumstances and tragedies. 

The acting by the entire cast is really superb.  Naomi Watts exudes maternal determination as she struggles for hers and her son’s survival.  The proverbial “they” always say to avoid working with animals and children on movies, but the real standout performances in The Impossible for me were from the children.  Tom Holland, most known for playing Billy Elliot in the stage production, was extraordinary as the oldest son Lucas.  From the moment the tsunami barrels toward the coastline, I believed his transformation from fear and hopelessness to perseverance.

The Impossible is not an easy movie to watch.  The wave sequences are realistic, the aftermath and devastation are saddening, and the never knows how the movie is going to end.  In spite of the difficult subject matter, it is an important movie to see.  It reminds the audience of this tragic event that happened nearly a decade ago.  I implore you to watch this film.  

-SB