The Impossible (2012) - In Praise Of Love And Humanity.

★★★★★

This film’s based on a true catastrophe triggered by the Indian Ocean Earthquake back in 2004. It’s about how the couple, Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry (Ewan McGregor), and 3 of their kids are split up when the horrifying tsunami hits the villa they stay in Thailand, and miraculously get reunited in the end. Sounds impossible? Yes, but what seems more impossible is that, though Maria’s seriously injured and anguished after battering the swirling current and being stopped by her son, she still decides to ignore her own safety and go help out a strange little boy. Right, you may not believe it, but it was truly happening!

‘The Impossible’ is more than good in terms of excellent sound effects and great performances, especially by Naomi Watts who’s been nominated for this year’s Academy Award for Best Actress. Ewan and Tom Holland, the father and the eldest son in the film, also deliver impressive performances as supportive characters. The tsunami special effects are such a spectacular, indeed much more thrilling than what happens there in Client Eastwood’s 2010 ‘Hereafter’. It’s almost inevitable to bring up hurtful memories about what happened back there when nature showed off its nasty side. But I guess, before you can really let go of your pain, you gotta face up to it first. This is a film in praise of love and humanity, while most of the films nowadays tend to glorify obscene and violence. Honestly it’s a must-see for all of us.

We basically are all motivated by love. Without it, I don’t think you can accomplish anything at all. You may even have a problem of going on living. Love is what makes us come and go and come and go again. Love can construct as well as destroy. It can make the impossible possible and also the other way round. That’s why we can never rest in peace, with love. To a Buddhist’s point of view, if you wanna break the cycle of Samsara and stop suffering, you gotta replace love with compassion. You may ask, what’s difference? Say, love’s all about you but others. Compassion’s all about others but you. Love drives you crazy while compassion gives you only peace that’s undeniably a real state of happiness.

Buddhists believe that humans are all endowed with Buddha nature, a tendency to do good and be good; to wanna be enlightened and away from delusions eternally. ‘The Impossible’ is a film of love and faith to remind you that there’re no doubt good souls out there no matter how disappointed you may have been in humanity. It may not wanna make you cry, but I’m sure it wants you to realize one more thing, life’s so precious and unpredictable that it can be taken any time, probably sooner than later!