From volcanoes to tsunamis to global pandemics, there are plenty of different disaster movies out there to choose from. From an outsider’s perspective, i.e., someone who hasn’t watched many films in this specific subgenre, the appeal of watching the world collapse in on itself might seem particularly sadistic. What could be appealing about death, destruction, and close retellings of real events?
The answer to that question will vary depending on who you ask — after all, some people really do just want to watch the world burn. However, seeing only the tragedy and chaos in these disaster movies is to deliberately ignore the human element that so often lies at their heart. Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona’s 2012 biographical disaster film The Impossible, which stars Tom Holland before his Spider-Man days, leans hard into the power of love, connection, and community, and is a far better movie for it. Though if you’ve yet to see it and want to, then run, not walk, to the streaming service Tubi before the movie leaves the platform.
The Impossible is based on the true story of María Belón, a Spanish physician and motivational speaker, who survived the harrowing events of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami while on holiday in Thailand with her husband and two sons. Belón would go on to receive credit for the movie and worked alongside Bayona to ensure the tale was as accurate as possible.
With a star-studded cast including Naomi Watts as Belón (credited as Dr. Maria Bennett in The Impossible), Ewan McGregor as Henry, Tom Holland as Lucas, and Samuel Joslin and Oaklee Pendergast as Thomas and Simon, The Impossible delivers an emotional punch within twenty minutes of its 113-minute runtime. Shortly after their arrival in Thailand, a massive tsunami hits, devastating the beach resort where they are staying. Alongside injuring Maria’s leg and chest, the tsunami also splits the family in two, leaving Lucas (Holland) with his injured mother and the younger sons with Henry.
Holland has proven himself a tremendously ambitious and skilled actor over the years, with his role as Telemachus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey being his most recent standout. Yet, as The Impossible proves, despite being only 14 years old at the time of production, Holland has always been able to bring a certain gravitas to his performances that makes his role in the film just as compelling as those of Watts and McGregor.
The emotional weight Holland conveys in this role is especially evident in his interactions with Watts. As danger literally ebbs and flows around every corner, Lucas is forced to look after his gravely injured mother despite still being a child. He’s at the threshold of young adulthood and still seeks his parents’ guidance, and yet he’s forced to grow up very quickly because his mother needs surgery as soon as possible. The result is a truly gut-wrenching performance in which Holland delivers dialogue that feels strange coming from a young boy but perfectly reinforces how the tsunami has driven him to rise to the occasion.
Even beyond the brilliant performances from the cast, The Impossible stands as an accomplishment of Spanish cinema. In its opening weekend, it raked in $11 million, and even 20+ years later, it’s still one of the highest-grossing Spanish films of all time.
It’s not hard to see why: Belón’s is not the only survivor’s story that is intimately woven in. Bayona’s direction in The Impossible also never feels exploitative or designed solely to shock. On the contrary, The Impossible perfectly encapsulates what keeps audiences coming back to the genre: it’s an exploration of the human condition and how dynamics (familial or otherwise) are tested in the face of disaster.
The Impossible is available to stream on Tubi and Pluto TV.
