Ewan McGregor | Ticket Stub Love

My cousin Aimee first saw The Impossible and raved about how it could tear your heart out. A bit skeptical myself, I hadn’t heard much of the film because of it’s poor marketing. However, we all decided to do a movie night and watch it, and I realized that The Impossible is maybe the most overlooked film of the year.

The Impossible tells the true story of a family spending Christmas in Thailand, who are caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Maria (Naomi Watts) and her eldest son are swept one way, while Henry (Ewan McGregor) and the two youngest sons are swept another. The movie focuses on their fight to find one another and reunite their family.

Many critics accused the film of whitewashing, portraying the characters more “white” to appeal to more audiences, since the original family was in fact from Spain. However, I disagree because the actual Maria Belon chose Naomi Watts to play her in the film, and what a perfect choice. Naomi Watts shines in the film and gave the unarguable best female performance I’ve seen all year. She showed so much emotion and pain in a mostly bedridden role. Her scenes were intense and the pain was palpable. I’m glad the Academy gave her some recognition by giving her a nomination for Best Actress, but honestly, she should have won. I know, I know, I love Jennifer Lawrence just as much as the next person, and I can’t say anything bad about Silver Linings Playbook since I haven’t even seen it, but portraying a person with bipolar disorder doesn’t seem like much work compared to Watts’ performance. She was raw and you could feel her pain in every grimace and scream she let out. A+ work.

The film was hard to watch at times and I did close my eyes during many parts. Naomi Watts’ character went through the most it seemed, from being hit by objects underwater, to being dragged through reeds with a huge gash in her leg, and to even throwing up seaweed. Gosh this movie was graphic so I don’t recommend it to young viewers or those faint of heart. However, we all have to remember that this actually happened to a person, actually thousands of people. Just be warned.

The rest of the cast was fantastic as well. Ewan McGregor showed that a simple phone call back home can be turned into a tear-jerking heart-wrenching moment. The sons were surprisingly one of the best parts of the movie. The eldest, Tom Holland, showed incredible bravery as he rose to the challenge as the provider for his mother. Simarily, the two youngest sons were adorable and delivered their lines with painful cuteness.

If there was anything to critique, it would have to be that they kept going back to the scene where Maria is hit with debris underwater, it seemed a bit unnecessary and graphic, but it was forgiven by an incredible and inspiring image of her hand rising out of the water, a metaphor to her fighting strength and determination. The Impossible is a must-see film, that packs pain, heart-break, and joy in one package of amazing emotion.

ALL IN ALL: The Impossible is an intense must-see film with incredible performaces and an inspiring story of a determined family who will tear at your heart.

images from: http://images.moviefanatic.com/iu/t_full/v1364991725/the-impossible-poster.jpg

I keep meaning to review older movies, but I can’t help but review movies that I have recently seen! So far, all the movies I have reviewed have been award contenders, including this one: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which was nominated for 3 Golden Globes this year (Best Picture: Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy, and Best Actor in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy). I can happily say that it deserved those nominations.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is about a fisheries expert( Ewan McGregor) who is approached by a consultant (Emily Blunt) to help realize a sheik’s (Amr Waked) vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the Yemen desert, initiating an upward journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible possible.

I liked Salmon Fishing a lot. It was a charming, feel-good movie. However, the movie was sometimes carried through by its amazing cast. Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt were fantastic in this movie. You know, I honestly thought McGregor always had a British accent, but then he had such a remarkable Scottish accent in the film that I was prompted to look the matter up and I found that he was originally from Scotland, which must have been helpful. In conclusion, his accent was great, as well as his amazing performance. Emily Blunt did a good job too, and the both of them had great chemistry in this movie. I loved them together. Kristen Scott Thomas was additionally in the cast, as the British Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary. Her character, at times, was bit too overzealous for me, but nevertheless she belonged in the film.

Harriet (Blunt) and Dr. Jones (McGregor) talking to Sheik Muhammed (Waked) about the salmon plan.

One of my only problems with the film was that it started into the storyline so suddenly that I was unprepared and confused. The plot was a bit puzzling at times, but it all smooths out as the film progresses. The accents were a bit heavy too, but that’s really not a huge issue. Also the ending seemed a bit unfinished, tying up the loose strings too quickly. However, I did love the plot of the film because the whole idea was very original, though we can’t forget that it was based on a novel of the same name by Paul Torday. The imagery was beautiful and symbolic too. There was one scene where a salmon swims the opposite way in the river, which parallels a scene earlier in the film where McGregor’s character turns around and walks through a crowd after a sudden realization. So I guess, McGregor is essentially the “salmon”? Oh….. that does make sense, but I can’t explain without giving away too much!

Salmon Fishing had everything a film should have: comedy, drama, romance, etc. It was full of hope and new beginnings, which I liked. And c’mon, salmon in the Yemen?! Even I didn’t believe in it, but by the end you realize that the wise sheik didn’t only want salmon to come to the desert. He also wanted faith to come and so it does, in the film and also in the hearts of viewers.

ALL IN ALL: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a charming movie that brings faith and joy to its viewers.

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