16th PÖFF: The Impossible review

The great waves of human spirit and natural disaster

There hasn`t been many films about the events of the 2004`s Indian Ocean earthquke. With the help of main actors Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor "The Impossible", a second film by the Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona, shows us that in time of crisis it is up to us to decide what to do with the time given to us.

By Ra Ragnar Novod

Bayona falls in line with other Spanish auteurs who started or are still continuing their careers with psychological horror films. For example directors like Alejandro Amenabar ("The Others", "The Sea Inside" and "Agora") or now famous Hollywood director, writer and producer Guillermo del Toro ("Cronos", "The Devil`s Backbone", "Hellboy" and "Pan`s Labyrinth"). Bayona started his career with an outstanding debut "The Orphanage", produced by Guillermo del Toro, but as for his second feature, he has done something competely different. He has created a very personal, but at the same time universally appealing story set among the rubbles of countless lives unfulfilled.

The shape of things to come

The story begins with an introduction into the lives wealthy Spanish couple Maria (Watts), a former doctor and now a housewife, and Henry (McGregor), a businessman worrying about losing his job, spending their vacation with three children in Thailand. Their pre-teen son Lucas (Tom Holland) doesn`t want anything to do with his playful younger brothers. He acts out like children in his age usually do.

Bayona knowingly plays with different elements of fear like for example Maria`s fear of flying ot the very first shot. It is pitch black, only the rumbling sound grows higher and higher until it explodes into a passing plane. There is always a kind of prelude of things to come playing in the backround warning us about the incoming storm.

Then it arrives. Suddenly this paradise is erupted by a powerful tsunami. Maria and Lucas are blown away from Henry and two younger sons. Not knowing what actually happened, the fear and hopelesness starts to creep in. All their previous quarrels are wiped away. Only survival remains.

Horrific realism

As a horror film director Bayona focuses on the characters and their individuality, but as a grand and emotional storyteller he appeals only to the universal or somewhat cliched way to tell the story of this family. Perhaps this was the intention: to show how one story belongs to everybody.

"The Impossible" is partly divided by three main characters: the illuminating journey of Maria and Lucas, Henry`s desperate search for them and finally Lucas, who goes through different phasis of acceptance. He almost drowns and in fear losing his mother he completely neglects the needs of others. While injured and ready to pass out, Maria still tries injects hope into his son by encouraging him to help others.

It is not the emotional compassion that captivates, but rather seeing this family suffer in the unkown. Sometimes you might find yourself wandering how much can one human being tolerate before breaking point. The film truly shows how little we are compared to a force like this.