Film Review: 'The Impossible'

“The Impossible” is a cinematic masterpiece and a gripping true story of survival. Without warning and while on vacation, a family is swept away and separated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. As their nightmare unfolds, we’re left breathless for almost two hours.

  Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry (Ewan McGregor) are on Christmas holiday with their three sons at a Thailand beach resort. While lounging at the pool Dec. 26, 2004, an eerie silence is suddenly broken by a crashing wall of water that smashes everything in its path. The sight is beyond horrifying.

In the raging water, Maria finds her eldest son, Lucas (Tom Holland), but is separated from Henry and the two younger boys. Maria, a retired physician, realizes that she has incurred grave injuries but the will to survive and protect Lucas is all that matters. Their intense bonding is the pivotal point upon which the film revolves.

From watching the trailers, we’re made aware of the fact that the family, incredibly, is reunited but it doesn’t detract from the horrendous journey they endure to do so. It’s as though we’re witnessing a catastrophic, yet, beautiful mystery unfold. Acts of human kindness are set against the backdrop of body bags and devastation. In a way, it’s an ironic joy watching “The Impossible.”

Filming the real-life Belon family experience was five years in the making. It began when producer Belen Atienza heard Maria Belon speaking about her ordeal on the radio in Singapore during her recovery. Atienza then relayed her story to director J.A. Bayona (“The Orphanage”), who deemed, “There was something there ... something universal to tell.”

Maria Belon worked closely with Watts (“21 Grams”) during filming, which had to have had an enormous impact, judging by Watts’ emotionally charged performance. She honors Maria Belon in an acting triumph, which elevates motherly love to heights never before seen on screen. Watts deserves an Oscar for her riveting work.

 McGregor (“Beginners”) also deserves accolades for his unflinching portrayal of a father who never gives up hope. There’s ferociousness in his body language and physical demeanor while he endures an excruciating quest to find his loved ones. And Holland is outstanding as Lucas, the son who never falters, as he becomes his mother’s keeper.

It took a year to create the sequence depicting the tsunami’s killer wave and it’s the most terrifying 10 minutes you’ll ever spend in a movie theater. The natural disaster claimed more than 275,000 lives. All of the participants in “The Impossible” honor those lost lives by visually and emotionally arousing our heartfelt empathy. The film stands as a mighty tribute to the power of the human spirit.