British distributors Entertainment One have revealed that they are planning to bring to Blu-ray director Juan Antonio Bayona's The Impossible (2012), starring Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, and Geraldine Chaplin. The preliminary release date set by the distributors is May 13th.
The Impossible is nominated for Oscar Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Naomi Watts).
Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts star in this Academy Award-nominated disaster drama set in Thailand during the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Henry and Maria (McGregor and Watts) are spending their Christmas holidays relaxing in a Thai resort with their three sons, Lucas (Tom Holland), Thomas (Samuel Joslin) and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast), when the deadly wave crashes through the hotel complex where they are staying. All five members of the family are swept away, and Maria and Lucas manage to stay together and to keep above the water. Once the water settles, the badly-injured mother and son begin a frantic search for the missing members of their family, but it soon becomes apparent that Maria is desperately ill and must be given medical help as quickly as possible.
A decent movie; being someone who's visited Thailand and was very close to the tsunami when it happened, I was disappointed that it largely focused on Western families and tourists, as if they were the only people affected. The "noble savage" stereotype was the only role left for the actual inhabitants of the several countries where the tsunami struck, which is a shame for film in today's day and age. However, stellar performances from all the cast, especially the young Tom Holland and both Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts, who garnered a deserved Academy Award nod.
@ambientcafe: Its tentative U.S. release date is April 23 (Summit/Lionsgate). Though that's probably not the date in Canada (distributed by EOne, same as the UK), that should be a bit easier for you to import (despite IIRC the arcane obstacles for Canadians ordering from Amazon US).
@metamorphic: To make a heartfelt and legitimate story, they can't focus on everybody at once, for then it would be a documentary. Get real, man!
One more note: Since it is a "Western" movie, they focused on people that "Western" people could directly relate to. If Thailand wants to make a similar film focusing on a Thai family, then I'm sure we're all for it. Sheesh! Some people!
Jennifer Lawrence was indeed great in "Silver Linings", but she can't hold a candle to the performance Watts turned in here. Regardless, Lawrence will take home the Oscar.
