Impossibly good

Rating: 9/10 (1 February 2013)

I thought the film was brilliantly made and extremely moving, it really stays with you. Tom Holland was superb as the young Lucas and the rest of the cast was also fantastic.
While I understand the criticism about the focus being on a western family and keeping indigenous victims in the background, I liked the simplicity of the narrative, following this one family's story. It wouldn't have had the same impact if it had knitted together lots of story threads. It avoided the traps of other films like it, letting the action and emotion speak for themselves, without the need for uncomfortable exposition explaining the wave (I don't think the words tsunami or earthquake even get a mention) or telling us what happened to the characters later over the end credits. There was no need for names, long introductions and back story for the supporting characters – there was too much distress and chaos for anyone to dwell on those things and it would have felt unnatural. The audience doesn't need to have it spelt out that the devastation was far-reaching and that this family's story was exceptional – it's all there on screen.
I think it's been terribly overlooked in the awards, for both technical and acting categories. It should surely be up there for sound and effects, and the hair and make-up category shouldn't be limited to period dramas! Tom Holland should certainly have been nominated for the Bafta Rising Star.
It was tough to watch but contained enough moments of hope, human kindness, and happy reunion to make it enjoyable too. Definitely a film to see on the big screen.