“The Impossible”film shown in the Afternoon Session this Wednesday (11), was the first feature film in which Tom Holland acted. The actor, now famous for bringing the superhero to life in “Spider-Man”, was just 15 years old during production, launched in 2012.
The film is based on a real event: o tsunami that hit Southeast Asia in 2004. The plot of the film revolves around Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry (Ewan McGregor), a couple who decided to spend their holidays in Thailand with their three children. After giant waves devastate the city, the family struggles to survive and find each other again.
Based on a true story
The Indian Ocean tsunami portrayed in the film actually happened on December 26, 2004, hitting Southeast and South Asia and killing more than 230,000 people. To this day, it is considered the deadliest tsunami in history.
The phenomenon was triggered by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, sending waves up to 17.4 meters high that hit the coasts of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and nine other countries.
The family portrayed in the film, which is separated during the disaster and needs to find itself again, is also inspired by a real story: the Belón family.
María Belón Álvarez and her husband Enrique Álvarez are Spanish and decided to spend their holidays in Thailand in 2004, with their three children, Lucas, Simón and Tomás Belón.
Just like in the movie, the family was swept away by the huge wall of water and separated. Maria managed to locate her son Lucas and they both hugged a tree to survive, until they were rescued by a Thai man who took them to the hospital.
Enrique also survived by clinging to a tree and managed to find his other two children. The whole family was only able to reunite, however, two days after the disaster.
The Belón family even acted as consultants for the film “The Impossible”, to ensure that the story was told truthfully.
