After Spain's biggest music star accidentally dies during a concert, a fan Many video shots exist of the tsunami hitting the Asian beaches, but no one who was not there can have any real idea of what it must have been like to have been caught up by its waters. Bayona committed to working with real water rather than a computer-generated wave because he wanted the story to be authentic. But, when they find out a tsunami will hit the city, They realize they only have 10 minutes to escape! While he waits in the hospital, Lucas finds Daniel, who has been reunited with his father. [6] Principal photography began 23 August 2010 in Alicante and continued in October in Thailand. Thankfully, Bayona doesn't try. [9][10][11][12], The tsunami was recreated with a mixture of digital effects and real water surges filmed in slow motion created in a water tank in Spain using miniatures that were destroyed by a huge wave. Karl gives him a piece of paper with the names of his family members. It features an international cast including Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland. How can you tell the story of what happened almost simultaneously in Indonesia and India, Myanmar and Malaysia, and eventually affected even the African coast. They become a couple literally torn apart, a father having to search among the debris for the remainder of his family and a mother who for much of the picture hovers close to death. This is where the family from The Impossible is now. "[28], The Impossible was a box office success. About the film she added, "The Impossible is one of the most emotionally realistic disaster movies in recent memory – and certainly one of the most frightening in its epic re-creation of the catastrophic 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Communication facilities are scarce, but a European tourist named Karl, who has also been separated from his family, lends Henry his cell phone to contact his relatives in England. The Parry Brothers are in trouble when a tsunami washes over Colwyn Bay. "[24], Damon Wise of The Guardian gave the film four stars out of five. A short film about a young man saying his last goodbyes to his girlfriend, talking about the moments they shared together. The movie is based on the true story of a Spanish family vacationing in Thailand when the tsunami struck, who miraculously reunited after being separated. Spanish film directors Juan Antonio Bayona and Sergio G. Sánchez co-directed the video for "Disconnected" with Leticia Dolera in the main role. It is based on the experience of María Belón and her family in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. People everywhere were affected by it. The story of New Zealand's Robert "Rob" Edwin Hall, who on May 10, 1996, together with Scott Fischer, teamed up on a joint expedition to ascend Mount Everest. If you have wanderlust, check out our five movie and TV picks to take you on a virtual journey. Their solution was to deal with one British family on vacation in Thailand from Japan, but their film uses that family as a catalyst to show the tsunami's awful effect not only on the tourist population but on the local people who suffered even more.Both the film itself and the filmmakers have taken pains to say that this is a "true story," and they have aimed for the greatest possible authenticity in the circumstances. This meant Watts and Holland spent five weeks filming physically and psychologically demanding scenes in a massive water tank. Written by The film was released in the United States on 4 January 2013 and was made available by Summit Entertainment through a website streaming the film to members of SAG-AFTRA for consideration of the SAG awards. The Impossible marks the feature film debut of Tom Holland (who would later portray Spider-Man in the MCU) and mostly received positive reviews upon its initial release. McGregor, meanwhile, gives one of his best performances as the sad and desperate Henry, trying to play the hero, the provider, while knowing his cause is almost certainly lost." [17], It was released on DVD/Blu-ray in the United States and Canada on Tuesday, 23 April 2013,[18] with a European release 13 May 2013. A vehicle carrying Thomas and Simon also stops outside the hospital, and the boys get off so Simon can urinate. While Maria is in surgery, her medical chart is mixed-up with a patient named Muriel Barnes, who has died. The film ended up earning $54,536,668 at the Spanish box office and $180,274,123 worldwide, compared with its estimated $45 million production budget. He also praised the performances, stating that "as Maria, Watts is both brave and vulnerable, and her scenes with the young Lucas (the excellent Tom Holland) are among the film's best, with adult and child now unexpected equals, the mother humbled, the son rising to the challenge. 1 and made $5,768,184 with a per-cinema average of $9,098. The impressive results that display both the striking wave and its terrible aftermath owe much to production designer Eugenio Caballero.The big names here are Ewan MacGregor as Henry and Naomi Watts as Maria, his doctor wife, while Geraldine Chaplin has a cameo role as a lady who comforts one of their sons on a starlit night. The Impossible Warner Bros. released the film in Spain on 11 October 2012. How does one story tell some of the many stories of that day? In Spain the film was released on 11 October 2012, and opened in 638 cinemas, grossing $11,569,306 on its opening weekend, ranking No. It is based on the experience of María Belón and her family in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. [31] On its third weekend it remained at No. The family's three sons are played by Tom Holland (Lucas), Samuel Joslin (Thomas) and Oaklee Pendergast (Simon). [22], Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter gave a very positive review, praising the performances of the two leading stars, stating that "Watts packs a huge charge of emotion as the battered, ever-weakening Maria whose tears of pain and fear never appear fake or idealised. "[27], Simon Jenkins, a British survivor from Portsmouth, wrote to The Guardian, stating the film is "beautifully accurate". These were among the challenges that faced director Juan Antonio Bayona and screenwriter Sergio G. Sanchez when they decided to put an account of the 2004 tsunami on the screen. Survivors of the 2004 tsunami have been left 'in tears' as cinemas are screening the trailer for a movie about the disaster without warning. [16] It was released on 11 October 2012 in Spain and in Ireland and the United Kingdom on 1 January 2013. [19], Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 81% based on 201 reviews, with an average rating of 7.32/10. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Title Card : On December 26th, 2004, the deadliest tsunami on record hit the South East Coast of Asia. About the film, he added: "Part of the appeal of this affecting and powerful drama is that it puts the viewer right in the moment at every stage, using authentic locations and tsunami survivors to hammer home the reality of this tragedy. While out looking, injured and alone, he is picked up by a passer-by and driven to a nearby bus station with other survivors. Why were Maria and Lucas hit by a second wave coming from the opposite direction to the first wave? Bayona, Sanchez and Keane filmed the video ... See full summary ». As the anesthesia puts her to sleep, Maria experiences flashbacks of how she came to be injured and how she surfaced the water. It plays on the 2004 boxing day Tsunami in Thailand as a few of the others on the list have tried to dramatize themselves. They get an upgrade to a villa on the coastline. He says of the comments, "As I must, I've never been the sort of person to revisit and analyse events of the past, but some of these articles frustrated me. (2012). "The effects are just as good as those in Sharknado! From a distance, Lucas recognizes his father, and while searching for him in the chaotic crowd outside, Lucas's brothers spot him and they reunite. For me, it was the exact opposite. While in surgery, Lucas tells his father he has something really important to tell Maria. Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, tsunami that hit the coasts of several countries of South and Southeast Asia in December 2004. Rated PG-13 for intense realistic disaster sequences, including disturbing injury images and brief nudity, How to Stream Brandy and Whitney Houston’s Live-Action ‘Cinderella’ on Disney+, Mission: Impossible 7 Resumes Filming, Simon Pegg Shares New Teaser Image, Disney+ To Stream ‘Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella’ With Whitney Houston & Brandy, Everything Coming to Netflix in November 2020, Everything Coming to Hulu in September 2020, 10 Years After Katrina: The Film Disaster Most Due to Human Error. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Young Albert enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. The site's critical consensus reads, "The screenplay isn't quite as powerful as the direction or the acting, but with such an astonishing real-life story at its center, The Impossible is never less than compelling. 1 talking about this. [5] Filmed between the Ciudad de la Luz studio in Alicante (Spain) and Thailand. [7] A teaser trailer was released on 26 December 2011. Henry promises Maria's father he will look everywhere for his family and that he will find them. He focuses on the few, hoping that through them audiences will better understand the tale of the many. A. Bayona and written by Sergio G. Sánchez. The Impossible (Spanish: Lo imposible) is a 2012 English-language Spanish disaster drama film directed by J. The Belon – Alvarez family was in Thailand for their Christmas Holidays, on December 26, 2004, when the unfortunate event took place. Nearly 230,000 people died, and millions lost everything. Henry and Karl search for their families in various places before they arrive at the hospital, where Henry is given five minutes to look. [15] After a full-length English language trailer was released on 20 August 2012, a United States release date of 21 December 2012 was confirmed by Summit. 2012's The Impossible, now on Netflix, is set in the aftermath of the deadly tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean in 2004. The following day, the family boards an ambulance airplane to Singapore so Maria may receive further medical treatment. This was in response to critics commenting that the film is "overdramatic" and "whitewashed". Because it occurred in the Christmas season and hit many resort area beaches its death toll of almost 250,000 was indiscriminate, taking not only South Asians but many visiting vacationers. That is a lot to ask of a young actor, but Holland delivers.No one story can ever do justice to the events of that day and the days that followed. I personally heard from Thai acquaintances the story of nieces and nephews who excitedly ran to the shore to see the wondrous phenomenon of the receding ocean, only to be swamped by its return. Cutremurul din Oceanul Indian din 2004 a fost un seism submarin cu o magnitudine de 9,0 grade pe scara Richter desfășurat în estul Oceanului Indian pe 26 decembrie 2004 (la 00:58 UTC, sau 07:58 ora locală). The Thai people had just lost everything – homes, businesses, families – yet their instinct was to help the tourists. The story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. [32], Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, List of accolades received by The Impossible, "The Impossible (2012) - Financial Information", "Álmodovar, Bayona make 'ambitious, high-quality European films from Spain, "Summit boards Bayona's English-language debut The Impossible", "INTERVIEW: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, J.A. The Impossible, released in 2012, is a movie based on the real-life events that took place during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, but the family whose story is depicted is also a real family. With Hugh Bonneville, Gina McKee, Samrit Machielsen, Grirggiat Punpiputt. Was this review helpful to you? The trailer for … A woman named Yeon-hee (Ha Ji-won) lives in Busan with her boyfriend Man-sik (Sol Kyung-gu) near Haeundae Beach. Tracking one family's harrowing experiences, this gripping drama depicts the chaos generated by the massive 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. This time, however, the wave hits the Thai gulf and is so big, no one can outrun it. "[20] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating to reviews, the film had an average score of 73 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews. Despite the bigger names involved, it is his portrayal of Lucas that carries the picture since he is the hub around whom events revolve as the individual stories unfold. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. My own relatives who were then living in Thailand were destined that day to be on the beach, but, unknown to the rest of us, illness caused them to alter their plans. He called it "one of the best films of the year". [7][8], Director Juan Antonio Bayona decided not to specify the nationalities of the main characters in order to create a universal film in which nationalities were irrelevant to the plot. For such a story, The Impossible is perhaps a more than fitting title, but the film works and gives a view that is both visually impressive and dramatically moving.The Impossible premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2012. Bayona's 2012 film chronicles the real-life story of five people who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Maria cries and looks out the window at the chaos left behind as the plane takes off. (For example, those who tell their tales to Ewan McGregor at the bus station are almost all actual survivors.) Two days later on Boxing Day, the massive 2004 tsunami inundates the area. Meanwhile, Henry, Thomas, and Simon have also survived and are together. What's the long, stringy thing Maria pulls out of her mouth when she's vomiting? But his scenes of its striking are horrific enough to give some sense of its magnitude, even on the screen. A representative from their insurance company, Zurich Insurance, assures them everything will be taken care of as Lucas sees countless people outside the hospital looking through patient lists. It recounts her family's experience of when the tsunami hit Sri Lanka on Boxing Day 2004. Henry leaves the two boys with another family who are then taken to the mountains for safety by local relief crews. 18 years on from the devastating impact of 2004's tsunami, the world still fights to come to terms with this devastating environmental disaster. Arriving on Christmas Eve, they settle in and begin to enjoy the brand new Orchid Beach Resort. At the hospital, Maria encourages Lucas to help others find their family members while she goes into surgery for her chest injuries. Through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a German concentration camp, a forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences. Tidal Wave (Korean: 해운대; RR: Haeundae) is a 2009 South Korean disaster film directed by Yoon Je-kyoon and starring Sol Kyung-gu, Ha Ji-won, Park Joong-hoon and Uhm Jung-hwa. In their new overseas house, an American family soon finds themselves caught in the middle of a coup, and they frantically look for a safe escape from an environment where foreigners are being immediately executed. While footage of the tsunami strike itself was shot in a water tank at Alicante on the Spanish coast, and a couple of days filming of interiors took place in Spanish studios, the remainder of this picture was shot on location in Thailand using the real places of the story, such as the Orchid Beach Hotel in Phang Nga, and the actual hospital where much of the action occurs.The actual Thai locations and the many Thai actors keep the production values superb, and give this film an authenticity it would not otherwise have. Nor can a story set in just one location ever capture just how wide-ranging were the tsunami's effects. This is the true story of one of those families. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was initially documented as having a moment magnitude of 8.8. 1 with a per-cinema average of $18,134,[29] the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film in Spain. So of course do the survivors who take part, whose emotions are sometimes all too real. "[25], Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a "B-" grade and stated that the film "suffers from the greater problem of emphasising a feel-good plot within the context of mass destruction. "[26], According to The New York Times reviewer A. O. Scott, this narrowly-defined cinematic framing of the disaster through European and not Thai lenses represents "a troubling complacency and a lack of compassion in The Impossible," a movie which he found to be "less an examination of mass destruction than the tale of a spoiled holiday. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Celebrate Black History Month with IMDb's exclusive galleries, recommendations, videos, and more. 1 and grossed $9,016,065 with a per-cinema average of $14,022. Bayona, Sergio G. Sánchez, Belén Atienza & Maria Belon Talk THE IMPOSSIBLE", "WATCH: Ewan McGregor & Naomi Watts Talking About Preparing For 'The Impossible, "Tsunami Survivor Maria Belon Reflects on 'The Impossible, "Tsunami survivor's impossible story hits the big screen", "Schoolboy actor Tom Holland finds himself in Oscar contention for role in tsunami drama", "First Teaser Trailer for THE IMPOSSIBLE Starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor", "Watch: 'The Impossible' Trailer Starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor", "Toronto Review: Juan Antonio Bayona's 'The Impossible' Is an Intense Realisation of the 2004 Tsunami at Odds With Overstated Sentimentalism", "Swept Away and Torn Apart in a Sea of Despair: 'The Impossible,' With Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor", "The Impossible is 'beautifully accurate', writes tsunami survivor", "Spain Box Office Results for October 12–14, 2012", "Global Showbiz Briefs: Maggie Smith, 'Impossible' Breaks Spanish Records, 'Beauty' To UK's Watch, BBC Turmoil", "Spain Box Office Results for October 19–21, 2012", "Spain Box Office Results for October 26–28, 2012", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Impossible_(2012_film)&oldid=1008882426, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 February 2021, at 15:31. There is no time to escape from the tsunami; Maria and her eldest are swept one way, Henry and the youngest another. Weeks later, flying over the Indonesian coastline, I could see with my own eyes just how far inland the wave had rushed, and the devastation it had wrought.How do you frame such a catastrophe in human terms, and present a situation of pure chaos in a way that makes a compelling story? Little does humanity know that it is about to face the ultimate peril; a monumental death wave annihilating everything in its wake. Date 26 décembre 2004 à 7 h 58 min 51 s (heure locale) He learns that Maria is in the hospital, ready to undergo more surgery for her leg. The two younger boys are cute as well as being effective, but that is not really a word that suits Tom Holland. Billed as South Korea's first disaster film,[1] the film released theatrically on 22 July 2009 and received more than 11 million admissions nationwide. Now streaming on Netflix, J.A. The Impossible (Spanish: Lo imposible) is a 2012 English-language Spanish disaster drama film directed by J. Now, as the death toll rises rapidly in the aftermath of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the heavily injured mother must summon up the courage to stay alive with her elder son, while, at the same time, a desperate father and his two young kids must do everything in their power to track them down. The young British actor displays a surprising maturity and delivers a wonderfully measured performance, reminiscent of a younger Daniel Radcliffe. "[23], Justin Chang of Variety magazine gave a positive review, praising Bayona's directing and Sánchez's writing: "Collaborating again after their impressive 2007 debut feature, The Orphanage, Bayona and Sanchez get many things right here, starting with their decision to eschew a more panoramic view of the disaster to follow one family's journey from start to finish." The tsunami and its aftermath were responsible for immense destruction and loss on the [13] Holland, aged 14 at the time of filming, later described it as a "scary environment ...You can imagine how tiring and brutal that was."[14]. In the basement of her home, a Jewish refugee is being protected by her adoptive parents. Henry finds the three of them together. On the plane, Lucas tells his mother that Daniel is safe with his father. Who will survive, and what will become of them? Another View production, box office, & company info. The mistake is discovered when Lucas cannot identify any of the dead woman's jewelry and he is subsequently reunited with his mother, who had been moved to a private room in the ICU. This a book by Tracey Lee. A perfect paradise vacation until a distant noise becomes a roar. "[21], Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave a perfect four-star rating, praising the performances of Watts and McGregor, and the direction of Bayona. Had this film been purely about the tale of a western middle class family's 'ruined' holiday then I would have agreed.