The Impossible (2012)

How could anyone survive?

Most of us live in a world of modern conveniences: ipads, mobile phones, wifi, etc…We have the internet in our hands where ever we go. Electricity and running water are ubiquitous. Food is relatively plentiful, and easy to get, for many of us. 24-hour television news and Internet feeds keep us apprised of not only school shootings and political infighting, but also the comings and goings of celebrities, their romantic difficulties, and various wardrobe malfunctions.

Imagine, however, being in a far less-developed foreign country—an island nation lacking almost all of these 21^st- century luxuries. A place where you are essentially lost away from your hotel, have lost your bearings entirely, all the roads have been washed away, and you haven’t even shoes on your feet. In addition to a nearly non-existent infrastructure, add local emergency services (which were marginal at best by western standards, even when operating at their peak) now suffocated by arguably the largest, most devastating natural disaster in recent recorded history to the equation. As if overwhelmed medical services, no transportation, and zero communication capacity weren’t enough, toss in the added difficulty of an almost impenetrable language barrier between you and nearly all the locals. Finally, given all this, you’re trying desperately to locate love ones who’ve gone missing, and might be dead.

This is the backdrop for one of the year’s most intense films, Juan Antonio Bayona’s “The Impossible.”

The picture opens with a family flying to a tropical vacation in Thailand. From the very first shot, a plane traveling over the open ocean, the filmmakers establish the ominous spectre of impending disaster. We know the ocean will soon rise up to inflict unimaginable disaster upon these poor victims. Unfortunately, they don't

Upon arrival at their resort, it would seem that the father (Henry, played by Ewan McGregor), mother (Maria, Naomi Watts) and three young children (Tom Holland, Samual Joslin and Oaklee Pendergast) have discovered paradise. The sun shines brightly from a sapphire sky. The local flora is green and lush. Lizards and butterflies scurry and dance nearby. Brightly colored fruity drinks arrive poolside, while children splash about in the shallow end. The ocean, calm and inviting, provides a peaceful soundtrack. Snorkeling with myriad fish along a coral reef is literally miles away from the troubles of daily life.

When shown to their cottage, the family discovers it has a sumptuous ocean-view, reminding the audience again of what’s inevitably to come. This palpable sense of dread is heightened further when the father gives the boys a red kick-ball. After, they all head down to the water’s edge to play. The carefree family, enjoying their relaxing vacation directly in the path of oncoming catastrophe, has no idea for what they’re in store.

When the tsunami finally arrives, it does so with a power and destruction that are staggering. It begins with slight tremors that cause looks of puzzlement. Then buildings explode. Trees are uprooted. Seaside cottages are obliterated. The entire resort is erased in an instant. Vacationers simply vanish. It seems unlikely anyone will survive.

The visual effects are both convincing, and horrifying. The tsunami isn’t so much an advancing wall of water as it is ocean moved miles inland. It feels the water has decided violently to redraw its borders, engulfing everything in its path. It is everywhere. Where the town once stood, now is a raging river, without banks.

Most of the film, however, isn’t about the actual event, but its result.

Amidst the chaos, Maria and the oldest son Lucas are swept away by the water, like leaves in a strong autumn wind. Separated from the group, and temporarily each other, the pair gasp for air and struggle mightily to stay above water. Maria nearly drowns, and is badly hurt by strewn debris. Despite her injuries, her maternal instinct remains strong, and she manages to locate to her son. The two desperately grasp for whatever stationary objects they can clutch. They gradually make their way to shallower, slower waters, where they discover a young boy, alone, buried beneath the rubble. Barely able to take care of themselves, they now have a young charge. Now what?

It is only after they climb a tall tree that the immeasurable reality of the disaster becomes clear. There is no longer any dry land, merely marshy, reed-filled, ankle-deep swamp, as far as they can see. Maria’s injures are serious, and she’s barely able to keep moving. They’ve no idea what has become of the rest of their family, whether they’re alive or dead, or how to even begin the process of trying to find them. How to being to extricate oneself from such?

It is this bleak realization that gives mood to most of the film.

I won’t spoil the story of what becomes of the family. However, there are several moments of true heroism in the film. Not showy, action-hero displays of courage. Rather, simple people selflessly choosing to help complete strangers, during scenes of thorough devastation and uncertainty.

The film isn’t perfect. After the heart-pounding crescendo of the tsunami’s savage attack, certain moments that follow feel somewhat slow by comparison. That said, I was never bored. Several scenes moved me to tears.

Additionally, I wouldn’t argue with those who claim the film is formulaic. It is.

However, like Rocky and Hoosiers and countless other films, the formula is powerful, and it works. There is genuine suspense, wondering what will happen to the family members. We care about, and root for, them. Watts, in particular, gives a believable and touching performance, in what appear to be torturous working conditions. Her Maria is strong, brave, and sympathetic. 

Does the title describe the power of the water? The loss of life? The odds that anyone might survive? The totality of destruction? A family's struggle to find each other amidst it all? The courage and heroism of individuals in the wake of the disaster? "Impossible" accurately describes all these things.

An aside: the film has received criticism for focusing on one western family, while neglecting to tell the stories of tens of thousands of indigenous Thai people who died in the event. While I understand this rationale, I believe it is wrong. This is the incredible (Impossible!) story of what happened to one family, in one unfathomable event, and how its members coped. It is not an all-encompassing documentation of the tsunami, and the effect of its fallout. That would be a different film, perhaps one more compelling. The Impossible, however is its own, unique, story. Telling this harrowing narrative in no way detracts from, or diminishes, other stories yet to be told.