The Impossible

Naomi Watts, Tom Holland and Ewan McGregor struggle to stay alive and keep their family together during the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.

3OW was lucky enough to see a Times+ preview screening of The Impossible back in early December. The film is a truly visceral and emotional roller-coaster and reminds us not to take nature for granted.

Praise has been rightly heaped on Naomi Watts and Tom Holland for their roles of the mother and eldest son respectively but it should also be given to Ewan McGregor and especially the two actors who played the younger boys of the family. Both boys gave real emotional weight to their roles whilst never falling into the trap that many child actors do – that of over-acting.

The only regret came when the credits rolled and we were told that the film was based on the true experiences of a Spanish family It would have been refreshing if the makers had been brave enough to make the film in Spanish with Spanish actors rather than playing it – comparatively – safe by changing the nationality of the family and casting British actors.