THE IMPOSSIBLE

The first thing that strikes you, to make your heart start beating just that little bit faster when watching the film 'The Impossible' are the words "This is a true story" that so casually pop up on screen before any introductory and perfunctory landscape shot. Not "based on a true story" or "inspired by a true story", but simple and matter-of-factly, "This is a true story". That, combined with its title 'The Impossible', lets you know straight away that you're in for something extraordinary - and it delivers.

The film follows the story of an English family (Spanish in real life) while on Christmas holiday in Thailand following the 2004 Southeast Asian boxing day tsunami. Maria (Naomi Watts) is swept away after first crashing through a glass wall by the force of the incoming wave. She eventually catches up with her eldest son Lucas (Tom Holland) in the torrent, and the pair have to make their way to safety, and, most importantly, medical help whilst worrying about the fate of their missing family members. Back at the almost completely destroyed hotel, Henry (Ewan McGregor) was playing with his two youngest boys in the pool when the wave hit. They're now all together with the other surviving hotel guest awaiting transport to shelters. Henry entrusts the brothers with a fellow victim so he can stay behind and inspect the damage, desperate to find his missing wife and child. The two parties are forced to fight separation and the unknown as they come to grips with what has happened to them and what will happen to them once the dust has cleared and reality sets in.