Beautifully Realistic

Rating: 10/10 (6 February 2013)

When I saw the trailer for this film I did not think much of it. The trailer seemed like a spoiler and left me disinterested. Do not be disinterested! wow.
What an epic window into a tragedy most people would have flicked through on the news years ago without any true understanding of the emotional trauma the individuals involved went through. I feel this movie gets it 100% right. Maybe because it was a true story, maybe because there was brilliant acting even from the young kids in the film, perhaps the subject matter, Whatever the case this movie grabbed my emotions from the very beginning and did not let go for the duration of the film.
I keep seeing reviews from critics arguing that the film is slightly racist as it centers around a white privileged family and not enough emphasis was placed on the fact that Thai people suffered also. This is absolute rubbish, the film is simply accurate, I have been to Thailand multiple times and nothing in the film seemed out of place. I have even been to hospital in Thailand ... thats what it is like. Lots of white people with the white people, why? because there is more chance you will be able to speak to the people around you. It just makes sense. I love Thai people but I don't speak Thai, If I was stuck in a hospital surrounded by people speaking another language it would just be confusing and confusion is not something that needs amplification in a disaster. Most of the critics have probably never even been out of their house let alone to Thailand. The movie was focused around what one family saw. That is what they saw, end of story. I didn't see any racism I just saw people helping people.
This film gets it 100%. Its a deeply emotional story that made me appreciate my life more at the end of it. If you are a critic and you are talking about insignificant stupid things like how Ewans hair looked too perfect after the tsunami then you have completely missed the point of the movie. Just watch it and let it take you where it took me. If a movie makes you appreciate life more at the end of it, then it gets a 10. enough said.