Film 7: The Impossible - 26/1/13

8/10

Its been coming for a while but the first movie about the 2004 tsunami has finally come, if you don't count Clint Eastwood's Hereafter which had one character experience the event. The Impossible is done with a strong sense of realism, alot of the scenes were shaky and felt like a documentary, they also didn't sugarcoat the horror or refrain from showing the injuries inflicted with one particularly gruesome shot showing Naomi Watts leg. Obviously the film couldn't capture all the death and violence experienced during the tsunami and in the aftermath, but they didn't hold back showing disturbing imagery. The most disturbing scene to watch was when Naomi Watts throws up blood in the hospital. It left me feeling pretty woozy and I remember hearing lots of groans and uncomfortable shuffles from people in the cinema screen I was in. In fact the kid next to me had to swap seats so he could sit next to his mum, and my girlfriend said she was prepared to walk out the cinema at the point because it was too horrifying. Although it seems strange that this is considered a successful reaction from the audience for the film, it shows the quality of the filmmaking that they could translate how horrific the event was to a film, while not making it overdramatic or unbelievable or tasteless. I was worried with the casting of such high profile names like Ewan Mcgregor and Naomi Watts as the protagonists that they would 'Hollywood' the film and make it glossy, or even the use of familiar faces that we know and recognize would distract from the subject matter for which this film should completely focus on. However the two actors gave in brilliant, believable performances that I forgot this was the same Naomi Watts as Mulholland Drive, I forgot that this traumatised father searching for his family once played Obi Wan Kenobi. It is a testament to how shocking the opening of the film is and how good their performances are, Naomi Watts definitely deserves her Oscar Nomination, and if not for best picture The Impossible should have got a nomination for cinematography, editing or make-up.