Last night some of my friends and I were at AMC Kips Bay and decided to watch The Impossible last minute. I'm really glad that we did because it was one of the most emotionally powerful movies I had the privilege of seeing in a long time. I love watching films that don't require ridiculous action scenes to be entertaining but rather utilizes human emotions in a way that leaves you amazed at how powerful the human spirit and soul can be. When I first stumbled upon a trailer of The Impossible, I was immediately captivated by the scene in which the tsunami comes in, destroying everything in its path, sweeping away the family we are about to follow on this amazing journey.
Based upon the true story of a Spanish family on a Christmas vacation in Khao Lak, Thailand, The Impossible relives the most devastating tsunami on record that struck Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004. In the opening scene, we see Lucas, the oldest son, annoyed by his younger brother, who is afraid of flying. There seems to be a disconnect between the brothers, something that I can personally relate to as my brother and I for a while grew apart growing up. The family arrives at a beautiful resort in Khao Lak right by the beach. And for the first 20 or so minutes of the film, we see the family enjoying the beautiful weather and beach, seemingly escaping to paradise.
While playing in the pool, Lucas and his mother, Maria, are separated from Henry, the father, and the two younger sons, Thomas and Simon. The tsunami then rushes in and the scene is abruptly blacked out, perhaps trying to convey the sense of losing consciousness. We soon find Maria clinging on to a palm tree for dear life, obviously distraught and still in shock from what just transpired. She sees her son Lucas taken by the current and desperately tries to catch up to him, only to be stabbed in her chest by a tree branch. By the time the water subsides, Maria is badly injured, her leg with a large, open wound, and her chest still bleeding profusely. On their way to climb a large tree in case another wave rushes in, they both hear the cries of a young boy. Lucas wants to go for the tree and leave the boy, screaming at his mother that she is injured and there may not be time before another wave comes. His mother asks him, "Listen, what if that boy was Simon or Thomas? What if they needed help? You'd want someone to help them, wouldn't you?" Lucas replies, "Simon and Thomas are dead!" As the audience, we are not sure if Lucas said this as a last resort to persuade his mother to climb the tree or because he actually meant it. His mother answers, "Even if it's the last thing we do..." I was glad to see that Maria chose to help the boy despite knowing the dangers lurking. I feel like too often people today compromise their morals for selfish and petty reasons. In the end, they find the little boy, Daniel, and they all climb the tree. After what seems like an eternity, some natives walk by looking for survivors and they help carry Maria to a local village. From there, the natives take Maria and Lucas to a hospital where Maria can receive proper treatment.
Watching this scene, I was deeply moved at the fact that the natives, complete strangers, went out of there way to help Maria and Lucas, safely transporting them to a hospital for further treatment. In times of need, I find it compelling that humans are able to come together, transcending all racial and cultural barriers, to assist one another, showing empathy and compassion (i.e. Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, etc). But I ask myself: "If humans are capable of such actions, why is it that we hear about it most often when some natural disaster or horrific incident occurs? Why can't we see this same empathy and compassion daily?" I think the reason why is because God is absent from our daily lives. We don't look to Christ first but more often as the last option.
Maria's condition worsens and after her first surgery she is left too weak to go receive the second. She asks Lucas to help others in any way he can. A Swedish traveler arrives at the hospital, asking Lucas if he has seen the traveler's son. Lucas searches around the entire hospital and eventually reunites the father with his son. When Lucas returns to his where his mother was, she is no longer there. We learn later that due to a mix -up of the records, she was listed under a different name. Although a very minor detail, I thought it depicted the confusion and chaos that must have taken place at the time.
The movie shifts to Henry regaining consciousness on the beach, desperately crying out for Maria and Lucas. The younger two sons miraculously are safe with very little injuries. Henry chooses to send his two sons off with another group to the mountains where they can receive food and shelter as he embarks on a journey throughout Thailand to search for Maria and Lucas. I couldn't help but get emotional when his two younger sons beg Henry to stay with them but Henry makes the tough decision to send them off. Thomas, the older of the two, graciously accepts the responsibility of looking after Simon. I loved how the movie also showed the resilience and perseverance of these minor characters.
Henry ends up injuring himself when he falls and is brought to a local shelter in which he meets a French traveler who happened to be at the same resort in Khao Lak. The French traveler tells Henry of how he injured his leg before his family was set to travel to Khao Lak and how his wife tried to convince him that they should all just stay home. But the traveler insisted that they go because they had been planning the trip for a long time. He recalls how he woke up to the noise of the tsunami rushing in and finding a note his wife left him on the table - "At the beach." Henry begins to share his story of how he was separated from Maria and Lucas and how he's searching for them. The traveler lets him borrow his phone, which is low on battery, so Henry can call Brian, Maria's father. As Henry begins to tell Brian of how he doesn't know where Maria and Lucas are, he begins hysterically crying, his words barely decipherable. He abruptly hangs up the phone because he knows other people need to make calls as well. The traveler insists that he call again, telling Henry, "You can't leave it like that." So Henry calls Brian again, promising him that he will find Maria and Lucas. This scene in my opinion was one of the best in the movie - a father and husband's determination and will to find his wife and son, the empathy and compassion of complete strangers, and the mutual understanding between humans.
After searching almost every shelter and hospital throughout the region, Henry ends up at the same hospital where Maria and Lucas are. Thomas and Simon coincidentally end up there as well. Lucas, while looking for water for his mother to drink, sees his father and desperately chases after him, only to lose him in the crowd. Screaming "Dad!" at the top of his lungs, Henry as well as Thomas and Simon, hear Lucas' plea and the four embrace each other. I could not help but tear up as I watched the father hug his three sons. The raw emotion that the actors conveyed on screen really hit home. In light of all the events in the past couple of months, I think that the film really reminds us of how important family and love truly is - cherish and appreciate it while you can because tomorrow it may be gone.
The family greets Maria as she is about to head to surgery. Lucas regrets not telling his mother of how he saw Daniel at the hospital with his father and prays that he will get the chance to. The family's travel insurance allows them to take an ambulance jet to Singapore the next day and Lucas shares his joy with his mother of how he saw Daniel with his father. I personally know the fear of not knowing whether or not the next day the woman who I call mom will be there or not. Remind your loved ones how much you love and share your joy because the world can definitely use more.
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"How do you know which stars are dead and which aren't?"
"You don't know. It's impossible - a beautiful mystery"
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