The Impossible

A couple months ago I watched the trailer of The Impossible and have been anticipating ever since. Last Sunday I was finally able to go watch it, and I'm now converted, Les Miserables and Silver Linings Playbook aren't my Oscar favorites anymore...The Impossible is.

I can't put my fingers on if it's the screenplay/acting/music/cinematography or all of the above but I kept crying throughout the movie, and to be fair I ain't a crier. But one thing was very clear to me, this is a movie, if I ever fingers-crossed get the privilege to have a son, that I will want him to see. Because unlike any other superhero movies/cartoons that try to teach little boys about manhood, this IS a true story that actually DOES teach little boys about manhood. Spoiler alert but here's why:

First of all, how Maria insisted on helping the little boy who was calling out despite the fact that she herself was bleeding to death, she said to her son Lucas "If it's the last thing we do." for starters not only did that brought me to a river of tears but is the perfect reason to bring your son to watch this movie-- it teaches boys to help the little ones in need, even if you don't know him, even if it means losing a limb, a virtue that seems to be lost in our busy dying city.

And later on when they have reached the hospital Maria again asked his son to help other people however he can. Lucas figured out he could help people in the hospital to find their relatives, and it took him a long time but...he actually did assist a dad find his son... despite the language barrier. He also did see the boy that they rescued before was in the hands of who probably was his father... the joy of seeing these people reunite because of the help of complete strangers amidst such turmoiled times was one of the most moving and amazing things about this movie, a motif that I will come back to shortly.

I think one of the most vivid imagery I took away from the movie was when Lucas helped his mom, Maria, up the tree--the pain inflicted on him would probably have surpassed the amount of pain Maria encountered when giving birth to him. But despite the weight of a grown woman on a young boy, Lucas knew it was crucial he got his mom up there, and with that in mind, he sucked every ounce of pain in and prevailed in helping her. That scene alone, would be worth the movie ticket itself.

Another way in how this movie promotes the right way of manhood is when Thomas, still a child himself, has to part with his father and for the very first time in his life take care of his toddler brother, add on the fact that the world around him was making no sense at all. Imagine the courage it takes!

Let's go back to the motif of helping strangers in a catastrophe. The movie has recurrently depicted how strangers helped each other in such troubled times, for instance the tribal man who helped Maria back to the village and into town. In those brief seconds of shots on Maria (Naomi) and the tribal man, you could see the grief they share in their eyes, the gratitude of Maria, and the empathy of the tribal man. This motif comes back when a complete stranger lent Henry (Ewan) his cell phone despite the fact that that stranger too was waiting for his loved ones to call and battery was low.

Love and compassion is a universal language which defeats all legitimate language barriers, and heals the souls of people, and was portrayed perfectly in the movie.

This movie will definitely make you reflect on the life you live and lead, well at least for me. For sure, I'm not going to take stability and prosperity for granted again. And especially would I cherish my loved ones, for who would really know what would happen the very next moment.