The Impossible

"Nothing is more powerful than the human spirit."

2012 1h 53m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 6,880

DramaThrillerHistory

Synopsis

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In December 2004, close-knit family Maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand. But the day after Christmas, the idyllic holiday turns into an incomprehensible nightmare when a terrifying roar rises from the depths of the sea, followed by a wall of black water that devours everything in its path. Though Maria and her family face their darkest hour, unexpected displays of kindness and courage ameliorate their terror.

“Nothing is more powerful than the human spirit.”

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Cast

Naomi Watts
Maria Bennett
Ewan McGregor
Henry Bennett
Tom Holland
Lucas Bennett
Samuel Joslin
Thomas Bennett
Oaklee Pendergast
Simon Bennett
Marta Etura
Simone
Sönke Möhring
Karl Schweber
Geraldine Chaplin
Old Woman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: J. A. Bayona
Writers: María Belón, Sergio G. Sánchez
Languages: English, Swedish, Thai
Countries: Spain, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Swedish, Thai.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Spain, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by J. A. Bayona, shot by Óscar Faura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Fernando Velázquez. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bernat Vilaplana shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

J. A. Bayona directs. Óscar Faura behind the camera. Fernando Velázquez scores. Bernat Vilaplana cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Spain, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Swedish, Thai.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.
2Released 14 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Swedish, Thai.
4International production across 2 countries: Spain, United States of America.
5Directed by J. A. Bayona, shot by Óscar Faura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Fernando Velázquez. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Bernat Vilaplana shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Nothing is more powerful than the human spirit.".
10IMDB entry: tt1649419 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 18 themes, including "human vs nature", "natural disaster", "thailand", "based on true story".
12Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Óscar Faura
Original score: Fernando Velázquez
Editing: Bernat Vilaplana
Production design: Eugenio Caballero
Costume design: María Reyes
Makeup / hair: Hilary Haines
VFX supervisor: Félix Bergés
Sound: Marc Orts
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $45,000,000
Box office: $198,100,000
Return: 440% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Impossible (2012)

Awards

Goya Award for Best Director

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

J. A. Bayona

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2014-09-30
★ 8/10
Incredible story with remarkable performances by Naomi Watts and Tom Holland and amazing staging. However, Bayona repeats the same mistakes from other movies like "The Orphanage" when he creates an uneasy situation through some unexplained weird behavior.
badelf2024-02-04
★ 8/10
Another amazing story based in truth. I think it's called The Impossible because those sets must have been near impossible.
CinemaSerf2024-03-09
★ 7/10
After a bit of a bumpy flight to Thailand, a family arrive in Phuket for what ought to have been a dream holiday. Well mother nature had other plans and a earthquake far out at sea generated a series of tsunamis that we now know killed almost a quarter of a million people. That could well have included "Henry" (Ewan McGregor), "Maria" (Naomi Watts) and their children "Lucas" (Tom Holland), "Simon" (Oaklee Pendergast) and "Thomas" (Samuel Joslin) but despite being out in the first wave of the encroaching water, they somehow manage to cling onto anything that will float, to the sturdy trunks of the trees and though separated do survive. That's just the start of their troubles, though - "Maria" is severely injured and with their elder and quite smart son "Lukas". The others - so we are fortunately spared much of the mediocre McGregor - are elsewhere with all looking to repatriate amidst the chaos of debris and mayhem left by the now retreated seawater. The thrust of the drama features mother and son, with quite decent and convincing efforts from both as they must make it to some semblance of safety and then try to get much needed medical help. It's based on the real event, and the photography quite potently illustrates just how devastating the waves were on these low lying islands that were designed for pleasure and tranquility - there were no sea defences and the structures ill-prepared for the sheer power of the swell. There's a spirit to the narrative too - the locals and the tourists all mucking together to help in a veritable hotchpotch of languages and priorities. The pacing is frenetic at times, lingering at others and that also helps give us a sense of the perils faced by all trying to come to terms with the destruction and this is a surprisingly better watch than I was expecting.