The Impossible is based on true life events, and just as real life can’t adhere solely to one genre, neither can the film. Therefore, it is made up of a hybrid of genres and includes conventions of a drama, thriller, action and a true story, as well as just a disaster movie.
Written by Sergio G. Sánchez and María Belón and directed by J.A. Bayona, it has won twenty-seven awards since it’s release in 2012, and has been nominated for a further sixty-one including an Oscar academy and golden globe.
The film is set in late 2004, where Henry (Ewan McGregor) and Maria Bennett (Naomi Watts) and their three sons Lucas, Thomas, and Simon have just arrived at their beach resort in Khao Lak, Thailand, for their Christmas vacation. The story begins when, without warning, a gigantic tsunami hits, taking the whole city and half the Bennett family with it. The tsunami's aftermath results in a landscape full of carnage and destruction and the family, some with life-threatening injuries, are torn apart.
Within the tsunami scene of The Impossible, a variety of different micro-features are used to create a tense and dramatic atmosphere and drive forward an extreme ‘man versus nature’ narrative without relying primarily on the use of dialogue. The micro-features I will be looking at in particular are cinematography and sound and I will be analysing the ways in which these features present the themes of the film.
For example, when Lucas is shown diving underwater as the tsunami washes over him, the theme of “destruction’’ is portrayed through the evident change in the colour palette. The vibrant blue of the water turns to a muddy brown, representing the shift in mood. This change, which shows a less saturated colour palette, is also evident in the contrast between the use of lighting from the beginning of the scene compared to the end. For example, the scene starts with high-key lighting which accentuates the bright blue and green tones and represents the intended concept of an “idyllic family holiday”, however, after the tsunami hits, particularly when shot from underwater, the lighting switches to low-key, and the bright colours are replaced with a dull brown. In some parts the imagery is entirely black with only occasional flashes of brown interjected.
I believe the beginning of the scene was purposely made brighter in order to show an even bigger contrast between the “perfect day at the pool” in comparison to the utter devastation of the same landscape, post tsunami.
This theme of destruction is also evident from the two consecutive shots of the wave smashing through windows, shot first from the right then the left. This, alongside the the sound of the glass and various other buildings and belongings smashing and breaking, shows the destruction caused by the tsunami and foreshadows later events.
Not only does the tsunami show destruction but it also shows devastation; destruction on an even larger scale. In order to show this, an aerial shot is used which allows the audience to see the approaching wave and the devastation it causes with each second that it continues to devour the land. However, instead of simply shooting this from a bird's eye view, the camera slowly zooms outwards, from a single palm tree, until we can see the huge expanse of land that it has consumed. As it reveals more and more, the audience grow continuously more amazed; every time that they think they’ve seen it all they are exposed to even more devastation.
Likewise, the theme of disaster is shown by a fast zoom forwards across the body of water to show the audience that it seems almost ‘never ending.’ This is accompanied by the constant crashing of waves and wailing of the wind which are loud and harsh, all common conventions of such a large-scale natural disaster.
Another prominent set of themes in this scene, which are presented effectively with the use of sound and cinematography, are that of fear and terror. From my additional contextual research of real tsunami footage, it is clear to see the types of camera shots, angles and movements and the skills and techniques used to film this scene are extremely effective; as they really capture the terror of a tsunami by conveying to the audience how sudden, extreme and terrifyingly traumatic it would be to experience such a disaster.
An example of this would be the use of close-ups to show the characters terrified expressions, as by watching this it makes seem more intense and scary for the audience. Likewise, as the second wave hits, tense, suspenseful music kicks in. The music consists of what sounds like primarily orchestral strings, which create a very dramatic effect that connotes danger and evil. This haunting and synchronous music therefore reflects the terrifying mood of the scene and how the characters would be feeling at this point in time.
Additionally, the theme of fear is presented when the camera pans a full 360-degrees whilst underwater as this makes the audience feel as if they, too, are underwater, being made as disoriented and terrified as the characters themselves.
Another theme, perhaps expected within a film that follows such a distressing narrative, is tragedy. Through the use of many blood-curdling, tear-jerking cries and effective moments such as the medium close-up of Maria, clearly showing her distraught facial expression and the rapid water surrounding her, this choice of shot is successful. The audience is able to see the panic on her face as she cries and screams in despair and the water acts as a reminder of her horrific situation.
Undoubtedly, the use of sound is always key in creating a sense of mood and, in this scene, there is no exception. The use of muffled sound when the characters are beneath the water, particularly when they are screaming, creates a sense of suffocation which subsequently connotes the theme of “death”. When we see the characters flailing in the water, gasping for air, drowning, an obvious connotation is death.
Like fear, this theme is effectively supported by the use of sinister music as the kind of instruments and deathly mood created by the music are common conventions of the horror genre; a genre which often revolves around the theme of death.
In contrast to this, a more heartwarming theme which is presented in this scene is ‘family’. This theme is evident from the very beginning of the scene when we see Henry playing with the children in the pool and then again as soon as the tsunami comes into sight and Maria’s maternal instincts kick in with her dialogue: “Henry! The boys!”. This shouting element, which isn’t particularly common in many films, is also continued throughout the scene and is therefore a notable audial observation in the scene. For example, just a few seconds afterwards, we hear Henry shouting “Lucas!” and then later on in the scene Lucas shouting “Mum, I'm scared!” and “I want to go home!” which show a clear theme of family.
This theme is also evident when Maria and Lucas are reaching over the mattress, trying to grab each others hands. This is effective as it uses P.O.V shots which make the audience feel like it's their own family member they’re reaching for, causing them to empathise with the characters and their family predicament.
This scene where Lucas and Maria are reaching for each other also touches on the themes of ‘hope’ ‘determination’ and ‘survival’ as there is a close-up of their hands, showing the hope of how close they are to reaching each other before they are torn apart. Furthermore, the mattress that they are clutching for is bright blue, much like the colour palette at the beginning of the scene, as if this bit of blue within the sea of brown is their saving grace, which could therefore be symbolising the hope of returning to normality; they are being reunited again.
The theme of survival is also shown from the high-angle shot of Maria bursting out of the water, gasping for air which portrays her will to survive, rather than succumbing to defeat. However, one could also say that the sounds of glass breaking and the destruction at the beginning of the scene could act as a metaphor for their family breaking.
Furthermore, the themes of loss and separation are shown through the use of a dolly/crab/tracking shot from Lucas’ point of view which show Maria being dragged in the opposite direction to him and just as their hands are almost touching, we see a wide-shot of the tree preventing them from holding on to the mattress or each other any longer. It is also interesting to note from watching ‘behind the scenes footage’ of the making of this film, how often dolly/crab/tracking shots are used to track the character's whilst they’re in the moving water.
Similarly, the close-up of their hands also presents the themes of ‘struggle; and ‘desperation’ as, as camera gets closer to them, their hands gets closer to each other. These themes are also demonstrated through both the audio and visual of them splashing in the water; struggling to survive. Their screaming also presents the theme of ‘panic’ which is supported by the shaky handheld camera movements used to create the illusion that the character themselves is shaking, and the high speed editing that flicks left and right whilst pieces of debris fly past the camera, making the audience feel as though they are under attack. Similarly, having the camera switch between shooting beneath the water and above it allows the audience to feel as if the visuals are describing their own experience.
Another theme evident within this scene is of pain and suffering. Firstly, this is shown through the sound of Lucas’ ear ringing from an injury as this is disorientating for the audience and makes them feel like the ringing is in their own ear, therefore making them feel very uncomfortable. Secondly, this is shown by the sound of a branch snapping into Maria’s leg and injuring her. This is because the harsh sound makes you wince from imagining it happening to you, and therefore empathise with her as you do with Lucas when you hear bits of debris smashing into him.
Furthermore, various techniques are used throughout the scene to portray ‘tension’, ‘suspense’ and ‘ The unknown’ . For example, an entire thirty seconds of pure, silent darkness is effective because not knowing what's happened creates anticipation regarding Maria’s survival. As is the, unnervingly realistic, length that it remains for, which makes the audience feel more included. Likewise, the rumble of the approaching wave creates similar tension as the audience are waiting to discover the sound’s source. In fact almost everything in this scene, from the sound of fast rushing water and high speed editing which connote how fast it all happened, to the fast-paced, clashy, hexachordal music that sounds like a swarm of buzzing bees, leaves the audience wondering ‘What’s going to happen next?’
Similarly, when the tsunami hits and the characters are filmed standing up slowly to create suspense, it is eerily quiet. The previously loud, energetic mood disappears; everyone stops speaking and all you can hear is a shaking sound which links to the slightly shaky camera. The camera zooms in on the character's’ facial expressions in order to show their reactions to the tsunami. Therefore, the audience discovers what’s about to happen from the characters reactions rather than the action itself. Likewise, at the beginning of the scene when the audience can’t see what Maria is looking at, and then camera follows her gaze upwards to reveal a weather shot, further tension is built as we don’t know what's creating the silence and terror.
Also, if you look very closely you will notice that the first glimpse of the tsunami we actually see is through the reflection of the glass, which is both unusual and effective as it helps to support that idea of mystery, suspense and ‘the unknown.’
Foreshadowing is also an effective way of building suspense and tension and is used when we watch Maria through the water-covered glass which could therefore foreshadow the water to come.
Furthermore, the worm's eye shot of the sky ensures that the audience can’t see what’s going on on land and therefore don’t know what's about to happen. All they are shown is the trees blowing in the wind, birds flying overhead, a universally known code for ‘warning’, and, perhaps most obviously, the screams in the distance which all foreshadow ‘danger.’
In conclusion, the range of audial and cinematographic techniques which proved effective, include everything from the dull colouring being juxtaposed with the blue sky, to the white noise used to represent Lucas’ ear injury, to parts being dolly shot though a car window or from behind trees as though from a third point of view. Therefore, it is clear to see that there were many elements in this scene that proved both successful, and effective, in presenting the themes of the film.
