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The Impossible tells the story of a family’s experience in the devastating 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami and the chaos that followed. The film, directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor. Its North American premiere is set for September at the Toronto Film Festival. Here’s the trailer:
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Poor privileged white family has a sucky vacation. I’m sorry, but the fact that the hundred of thousands of Asians whose homes and lives were destroyed are made to be peripheral characters to the pretty white people is just insulting. No thanks.
Get off your high horse. This happens to be the true story that Bayona has decided to tell. There are many, but he’s telling this one.
He’s interested in telling the story of white vacationers because no one is interested in a story of survival about brown natives. Nothing that happens to brown people is interesting. In fact, no disaster has much significance unless white people die. Especially Americans.
The Tsunami was old news a month after it happened but the stories of the white survivors were the ones that made the news. Can you imagine if 250,000 Americans were to die in a Tsunami? They would expect the Earth to stop spinning on its axis. The world still hasn’t started spinning since 3,000 Americans died on 9/11.
Yes, most of America would much rather watch a two hour movie about the thousands of Asians affected by the tsunami, it’d be very easy for them to relate to it. Subtitled, too, because having them speak English would be insulting. It would set the box office on fire.
I doubt that you really care very much about the Asians who died in the Tsunami if you can’t empathize with other disaster victims, just because they happen to be wealthier. Are you out collecting donations for Syrian refugees? How much thought did you give the Iranian earthquake victims? A victim is a victim, wealth doesn’t soothe losing a child, or keep you afloat when you’re drowning.
There’s a very good reason why the characters are anglophonic white westerners, because they need to be relatable to the movie’s target audience. Also most of the documentaries about the Tsunami focused on tourists because there was more video footage of them to use, so it’s mainly their stories we’ve heard and associate with the tragedy. The movie is a Spanish production, not Thai or Indonesian.
Dude, Chill.
In the very near future, stories about white people will be changed to stories about about brown people.
Most of the people working in film behind the scenes have zero skills. I’m not talking about the MBAs, I’m talking about the folks in development or even many at agencies or managers. They’re being replaced by the children of minorities who put robots on Mars and know a bit about math.
No one is going to see this movie anyway, if it makes you feel better.
Who are the MBA’s? (Although I would agree that next to marketing, development is the second worst career in the business)
The math ain’t hard to do on this one. Look at BO numbers around Asia (especially Thailand) and you’ll find Hollywood movies starring white people are reigning supreme. So it’s a much safer bet than hiring unknown locals.
Dude,
Not sure how you managed to spin this topic towards your antipathy for ‘most of the people working in film’, but your comment is total bollocks. Charging scientists and mathematicians, ethnic or otherwise, to make art is like asking an artist to perform brain surgery. He MIGHT be able to do it, but why not just ask a brain surgeon?
There are talented/talentless people in every business. Your statement is total nonsense.
I understand where the criticism comes from, but there were obviously very good financial reasons to focus on a western couple. You’re going to get a much bigger audience, which is pretty much necessary when making a big budget movie, which this is. Fair? Maybe, maybe not, but dismissing this family’s story simply because of their skin colour and background. That’s just as bad as dismissing the locals stories because of their skin colour and background.
Sure, but the point is we don’t have the option of dismissing the big budget movies featuring the stories of a family of color BECAUSE THEY DON’T EXIST! It’s all white people, all the time.
Most big budget movies are made in the US. The US is predominantly white. Anytime you make a movie that is NOT going to play well in the US, you’re taking a risk. If the budget is low, then it’s not a problem. If the budget is high, chances are you’re going to need the US box office.
And perhaps the makers of this movie found this story (which is apparently true) compelling. Should they have turned the project down based solely on the fact that the story didn’t revolve around a Thai family? How is that fair? That’s just as racist.
It’s easy to judge from afar, but when you’re giving people tens of millions of dollars to make a movie, can you really blame them for wanting to get the best return for their money?
Well not exactly. Movies are now going more global than before, and I think there are more Asians than westerners in the world. Having a movie with Asian American leads may not bring in as much money in the U.S. as a White lead, but it’ll definitely bring in more money from the international audiences, especially China, India, Japan, and Korea.
It’s just the old white geezers who are on top of these studios. Too old fashioned and conservative. They don’t want to change with the times…how sad.
Again, look at BO numbers around Asia, Hollywood movies starring white people are beating the crap out of local movies starring locals. So I guess Hollywood should keep doing what it knows how to do, instead of trying to accomodate each and every sensibility.
at the moment overseas boxoffice is pulling warner brothers out of the whole that would have been TDKR. and the film hasn*t even open in china yet. the west is no longer the center of the univers.
I suppose you could go watch a doc about the tsunami instead of a film that not only follows the true story of a “western” family, but is also made for an audience that it can resonate with…
You took the words out of my mouth. I didn’t see your post before I posted mine. You said it much better.
Didn’t expect to be so moved by the trailer. It looks really good.
Looks good, but once again the trailer shows the whole movie.
Exactly!! That 2 minute trailer shows the whole movie. And the last 15 seconds SHOWS the entire family reunited again. Thanks. Now I don’t have to see the picture.
Gotta say….I agree with BMG and I’m white. There’s something weird about telling the story of the Tsunami in Asia and there are no Asian leads. It just doesn’t feel right.
Here’s a good way to think about it. If this was a story about the earthquake in Haiti, would you not have African-American leads? Idris Elba, Anthony Mackie would be in the movie just as much as Christian Bale.
That’s about the worst analogy you could come up with. You wouldn’t have white leads in a story about the Haitian earthquake because no one goes to Haiti on vacation.
Why bother with this one. They just showed the entire movie in 2 minutes. She lives, he lives, the kids live. Saddly idiots trying to market a potentially good movie by telling the whole story in the trailer.
Perhaps they are going for a 4-quad family crowd. Heartwarming tale of perseverance and compassion, not a thriller.
Looks like extremely loud and incredibly close but with waves. Get the hanky out!
How did the key Hair stylist get paid ads?
True stories are always far more interesting when they about white people. Especially Americans. But Europeans too. Then Australians. New Zealanders are just too weird though.
Never mind that 250,000 brown people died and millions more “survived” the Tsunami without being “rescued”.
Great trailer, now I don’t have to actually see the movie.
200,000 human lives extinguished but unless a white person is directly affected we can’t expect anyone to relate? What kind of cultural values create an assumption like that?
Name one Thai actor.
Tony Jaa
Good. Now name one Thai actor everyone knows.
Do you have a breakdown of how many Asians versus Caucasians were killed? If 4,000 tourists died, does that mean their stories aren’t worth telling because 196,000 locals died? People are people. Besides, if someone else wants to come along and make a movie about the tsunami with all Asian actors, they are more than welcome to.
As a minority, I have to say I couldn’t agree more with your comment, Wicked.
I’d like to add that a western family is likely featured because the disparity of their homes lives to the tragic situation they are trapped in makes for great drama and character development.
Marco beat me to it but again: why is there a Key Hair Stylist mentioned between Music and Editing??? Love Naomi but I think I don’t want to see a movie about this incredible human tragedy where the hair stylist gets such a prominent credit.
Oh, God. The key to making a story like this work is to make sure they are NOT the perfect, loving family when it begins. From the five shots they crammed into the first thirty seconds of this trailer showing all the loving, meaningful eye contact and hugging this family apparently engages in around the clock, it’s clear this is going to be the family disaster movie equivalent of THE VOW.
Actually thought of seeing this movie but by the end of the trailer I realized I just did.
Thanks
WOW it sucks that they showed the ending in the trailer.
Really, really terrible –
ewan macgregor phones in another performance and collects a paycheck. i guess naomi watts has to eat too.
Why I wonder would they do away with all the suspense and reveal so much of their ending? It’s not a documentary either, so I don’t get why everything must be “based on a true story”, “inspired by true events” or “like totally happened to my cousin’s brother’s best friend.”