Thursday, January 03, 2013

"The Impossible" painfully shows the reality of a tsunami

Three days ago, I had the chance to sit in a theatre in San Francisco to see the limited release of "The Impossible." I am still trying to pick the best words to describe my reaction to the movie.

But I think that I can speak for tsunami survivors from around the world. This is the first time a movie has captured the chaos, pain and horror of the 2004 SE Asia tsunami.

There are many stories from the tsunami, many of which are captured on this website. This story is just one. For tourists who experienced the tsunami and survived, the movie shows many accurate emotions and realities of what happened. The best may be the feeling of what it was like to be in the swirling "washing machine like" swell of waves and water. And secondly, the sense of grief and frustration by so many people who wandered around for the 72 hours following the first wave, looking for missing family members.

It is not an easy movie to watch - neither for survivors or for movie goers. But it is real. Honest. And worth seeing.

I will post more reactions to the movies over the next several days, and so please check back. And if you were a survivor, and saw the movie, please also share your thoughts and reactions.

I have responded to a few online reviews and articles about the movies including these:

The wizardry behind 'The Impossible's' tsunami (The LA Times)

Emotional Deluge (The Economist)

Attempting the Impossible: why does western cinema whitewash Asian stories? (The Guardian)





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posted by Rick Von Feldt @ 7:38 PM

4 Comments:

At 8:48 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rick,

Thank you for writing the blog and adding so many survivor stories from the 2004 Tsunami.

Could I ask; Have you been in contact with Luke Simmonds? I read his survival story and wondered if he ever found the Japanese girl with the broken leg? Did you ever hear anything else about her/what happened to her?

Cheers
Elisabeth

 
At 4:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This movie was amazing. I don't know why the movie "Flight" got so much hyper but this one didn't. Acting was brilliant. Well deserved Oscar nod for Naomi. The boy who played Lucas was superb. Amazing story. Loved it.

 
At 2:17 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am humbled by this movie..So sad and so real. The same emotions came over me the same as when it happened these 10 yrs ago

 
At 7:28 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, I am wondering if they ever found the little girl that her father searched for. She was holding a tree, and her father couldn't hold on to her any longer. He found his wife, but they never found her,,,,,

 

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