The Impossible Review

CAROLINE: The Impossible is an über dramatic, hard to watch movie about the tsunami in Thailand several years ago.  It’s one of those movies that I enjoyed and am glad I saw, but can totally understand why it might be too much for some people.

RYAN: I feel exactly the same way.  I don’t think I could ever sit through it again, and I’m normally the kind of person who can re-watch the same movie over and over.

CAROLINE: This movie focuses on one family who survives the tragedy, and Naomi Watts gives a tour de force performance as the mom.  Ewan McGregor is not too shabby as the dad either.

RYAN: You know I couldn’t love him more, and this is certainly one of the best performances of his career, but all the awards buzz seems to be going to Naomi.  She really is one of the world’s best dramatic actresses.

 

CAROLINE: Some of her scenes are really upsetting, but I have to admit that Ewan made me cry the hardest.  I was actually embarrassed at how hard I was crying and I think they guy next to me thought I was insane.  Did you shed a tear in this? 

RYAN: I definitely welled up, honey.  This one’s a tearjerker for sure.

CAROLINE: Whew, it’s intense.  And even though you know how it’s going to turn out, it’s a rough road to the end.

RYAN: What I loved most about this movie was that there was no CGI and that all the effects were made with scaled models and recreations at the same location where it actually happened.

CAROLINE: I couldn’t believe how amazing and amazingly real the tsunami scenes. I spent half the movie wondering how they shot it.  It’s truly incredible and must have been so difficult to shoot, especially Naomi and the boy who plays her oldest son. He’s getting some awards buzz of his own. 

 

RYAN: Some of what they endured was so hard to look at that I alternated between wanting to look away and wanting to puke. There was one moment where I was like, “This is worse than a horror movie.” 

CAROLINE: I know exactly the moment you mean and it was horrifying. Fortunately, the movie is ultimately uplifting and there are some wonderful, poignant moments.  But there’s a lotta drama in between.

RYAN: They also had the real-life family on set with them to consult during the shoot.

CAROLINE: That must have been incredible and makes the movie all the more true to life.  Which is terrifying, when you see what these people went through.

— BOTTOM LINE — 

RYAN: This movie is excellently made and incredibly performed. It’s hard to watch but certainly worth if if you can stomach it.

CAROLINE: I knew I would spend a lot of time crying during this movie, and I did, though perhaps not as much as I feared.  It’s an endurance test to get through it, but I think it’s worth it too.  Naomi Watts’s character is so brave and she captured her courage really well.  I can only imagine how difficult it was to shoot some of her scenes, both physically and emotionally.

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