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| Source: Imdb |
If you don't want to watch
romance and want a cry-film without terminal illness, there
is not much choice of good films, but ‘The Impossible’
fits in perfectly. This drama following a family thought the
2004 tsunami that devastated Thailand delivers everything. Heart-breaking
drama, nail-biting tension, tears of happiness, visceral action,... all wrapped
up in some great visuals and fantastic acting by a superb cast. Ewan McGregor
and Naomi Watts do their jobs with passion and skill, but the true stand-out
performances come from the children. Tom Holland absolutely shines as the
teenage son having to grow up in the space of seconds, becoming a care-giver,
rescuer, organiser, someone to lean on, to depend on. Yet Holland gives a
vulnerability to his character that is astonishing. You can see the character
desperately trying to suppress his trauma so he can take care of the people
around him. The brief scenes with Oaklee Pendergast and Samuel Joslinwere are just
as impressive to watch. How children so young can give such natural,
emotion-laden performances – it’s just mind-blowing. In the end, each of the
family cast carried their own weight as equals. Amazing work.
The script was nail-biting, even if you already know the outcome. It combined natural and human disaster with a fierce tale of survival and endurance, of getting up again when you fall, of preserving your humanity even in the deepest night. Inspiring work.
The visual side of things was breath-taking as well. The cinematography managed to find beauty even in the wake of disaster. The colour pallet was well-chosen and the sets just looked incredible with their level of detail. The best bit is the CGI: the visceral wrench that the sight of the tsunami wave causes is awesome. The sound design makes the wave almost palpable as well. What an experience. They invested the right kind of money into the right place here. Also, they should get points for continuity and directing: the wardrobe and make-up department did a great job.
Finally, beside the fantastic overall sound design (not sure I ever mentioned that before, but it was really noteworthy in this film) the score was perfect. Most scenes did not need any music to have a profound emotional impact and the composer respected that, only providing what was necessary. Only towards the end do we start hearing more of the score as the story builds further, but the first half or two thirds of the film are built around the roaring of nature and the awful silence after the storm instead of pianos and strings.
All in all, a great piece of work with the emotional clout of a proverbial sledgehammer.
5/5
The script was nail-biting, even if you already know the outcome. It combined natural and human disaster with a fierce tale of survival and endurance, of getting up again when you fall, of preserving your humanity even in the deepest night. Inspiring work.
The visual side of things was breath-taking as well. The cinematography managed to find beauty even in the wake of disaster. The colour pallet was well-chosen and the sets just looked incredible with their level of detail. The best bit is the CGI: the visceral wrench that the sight of the tsunami wave causes is awesome. The sound design makes the wave almost palpable as well. What an experience. They invested the right kind of money into the right place here. Also, they should get points for continuity and directing: the wardrobe and make-up department did a great job.
Finally, beside the fantastic overall sound design (not sure I ever mentioned that before, but it was really noteworthy in this film) the score was perfect. Most scenes did not need any music to have a profound emotional impact and the composer respected that, only providing what was necessary. Only towards the end do we start hearing more of the score as the story builds further, but the first half or two thirds of the film are built around the roaring of nature and the awful silence after the storm instead of pianos and strings.
All in all, a great piece of work with the emotional clout of a proverbial sledgehammer.
5/5
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