The Impossible

As a birthday treat for myself, I attended a showing of The Impossible at Cinetopia in one of their unique parlor room theaters. I enjoyed an oatmeal stout, a turkey club sandwich on ciabatta bread with fries and a diet coke, in the comfort of an armchair next to a fireplace. It was heavenly. The comforts of the experience were in stark contrast to the events of the movie I was there to see. The real story of a family during the 2004 tsunami is emotionally wrought and beautifully told. I cried through most of the movie. It was a rewarding viewing, not one of those views that drains you and you feel as though you have merely endured, not enjoyed. In watching an interview with Ewan McGregor with Dave Karger, I recent found out that in one of McGregor's most emotional scenes, he was acting with actual survivors of the tsunami.

Naomi Watts is nominated for Best Actress in the movie and Ewan McGregor would have been equally deserving. The effects for the recreation of the event of the movie are not over the top and evoke emotions not usually felt when watching computer generated scenes. It could be knowing it actually happened but I think much is owed to the technical merits of the film.

In one brief scene, I recognized an actress as the same woman who played Aunt Glady in one of my all time favorite movies, Home for the Holidays (1995). Confirming this detail also led to the realization that the actress, Geraldine Chaplin, is indeed the daughter of Charlie Chaplin. Robert Downey Jr portrayed Chaplin in 1992 and Geraldine appeared in the film before working with Downey again in Home for the Holidays.