Before anyone says anything, the title wasn't meant as a pun or a joke. I, for one, personally know what it feels like to be hit by waves of desperation and despair. I assure you it's nothing to laugh about.
Well this
is a rather historical moment, wouldn’t you say, folks? Because, to the best of
my knowledge, this is the first big-budget film about the tsunami in Thailand. Following the true story of a very real
family who was only one of many to be hit by this devastating calamity, the
film gives us a very real, very emotional taster of what it feels like to be
caught up in something so terrible and of such a magnitude…
This is the
story of Henry (Ewan McGregor), Maria (Naomi Watts) and their three children
Lucas, Thomas and Simon. They are a normal family, with normal worries and
concerns who has come to Thailand for a well-deserved Christmas break. However,
daily concerns about setting the burglar alarm and their careers are very
quickly swept to one side when the tsumani hits. Henry and the two younger
boys, Simon and Thomas are swept in one direction, Lucas, the eldest and their
mother in another… What will become of them? Even if they manage to survive
this calamity, with the ensuing chaos, how will they ever find each other again?
I have
heard mixed reviews of this film oddly enough. The greater part, it seems,
found the film deeply emotional. I watched it with a group of friends and some
were categorically in floods of tears almost throughout. And I must say, even
though I am – sadly perhaps – turning into a bit of a cynic when it comes to
these things – the film is emotionally charged to say the least. It did rather
feel as if you had a rhinoceros – or something heavy to that effect – sitting
on your chest for quite a while after the film ended.
But then
again, I have heard people sneering at the film slightly. They point out, for
example, that it is, at the end of the day your common or garden disaster movie
+ tear jerker. Family gets torn apart, is then dramatically brought back
together again. There is one token serious injury, the rest don’t have a
scratch on them. In fact, like a lot of films of its kind, the film is not about
the disaster itself at all, it is about, if anything, the tenacity of the human
spirit. Which is admirable. But mayhaps slightly disrespectful of the actual
people who suffered and died?
Now, sad to
say, I do agree with a lot of these
arguments. I completely agree with one viewer (a review on imdb if I'm not much mistaken) who makes the point that the
moment we see that all five have survived it is very clear they get back
together again, safe and sound. I personally watched the whole film unable to
suspend my disbelief as to not knowing what would happen next. I knew quite
well what would happen in the end: The tearful reunion. That is because the
film DOES follow the pattern of your common or garden tearjerker. It uses all
the usual tropes to play on your emotions and I do see how you would be slightly
disillusioned. I mean, apart from anything else, we see a picture of the real
family at the end, and I hate to disappoint you, but they are very normal
people. Very unlike the dashing Ewan and Naomi. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t
mean this disrespectfully – at five feet tall and a size 11 (ehm), I am about
as unlike Naomi Watts as they come. But my point is, yes, on one level this IS
Hollywood basically going “Oh good. Another emotional story we can make movies
about dashing couples about and rake in the cash.” You’d have to be very naïve
to deny it.
However,
don’t write this film off completely either. I have read “good” things about
the production of this film too. For example, it would appear that almost all
the Thai and foreign extras were actual survivors of the Tsunami. And I
distinctly remember reading that the film had to change its trailer quite a
bit, simply because it focused on the family too much and not on the tsunami
and devastation – and hence considered disrespectful. And even though you do
“know” what will happen in the end to the main characters, there are enough
sub-plots and secondary characters around to remind you very starkly of the
devastation and the lives that were utterly destroyed in this tragedy. From the
moment the tsunami strikes, the story takes place in settings that are seemingly
all more chaotic than the next one, crowded hospitals, devastated streets and
it is this visual chaos that gives one the sense of constant fatigue and slowly
being strangled in the multiplicity of data and sadness. It seems to me,
anyway, that the film has done a good job of providing the emotion of the event
too. And if you don’t believe me, do a short search online. There are multiple
survivors who confirm that the film is indeed accurate in its portrayal. Besides, if you just want to watch the film
and have a good cry, you know what, that’s ok too. I love a good tearjerker,
even though I do moan about them…
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