The Impossible

I love this studded blazer I got from Earthdoll located at Bukit Panjang Plaza #03-21! I knew I wanted it the moment I set my eyes on it. It came in several colors and I was undecided because it looked good in all colors. In the end I got this one as I do not have a blazer in this shade of green. I paired it with a floral tube dress I got a couple of years back and brown accessories. Dangling on my ears are my sister's feather earrings in that beautiful light-aqua color.

That was my outfit when I went to watch "The Impossible" a couple of days back after reading a synopsis on it last week. It's a true story about a family that happened to be holidaying in Thailand during the 2004 devastating tsunami disaster.

I'm glad I watched this movie because it was so emotionally charged that I cried buckets. It has been so long since I cried this much. The movie pulled my heartstrings so much that I cried within approximately 10-15 minutes into the movie and I was crying throughout, except for a brief 20 minutes in between. I went out of the theater with a throbbing headache due to too much crying hahaha.

So anyway, before watching, I wasn't expecting the movie so be so emotive. I thought it would be more about struggles, search, and survival. But nope, it focused a lot on family love and emotional aspects and I felt moved by the story.

---- Text below may contain mild spoilers ----

Personal thoughts:

Tsunami:
I felt despair for the characters when I saw the waves crashing in. It's like in just 5 seconds, you are suddenly underwater. There was no time to react and definitely shocking. I understand how petrified one that cannot swim must have felt, because I can't too. And in such situations, it equates to no hope already. Luckily for the characters, they can swim. But in this case, even good swimming skills are not enough to ensure survival because of the strong currents throwing all dangerous and sharp items around in the ocean. Many unlucky ones would suffer strong blows by falling trees/heavy objects or be stabbed by sharp things. Some may get trapped. I was terrified when this was made apparent in the film. The scene which showed Maria's leg with a torn-open wound was disturbing. Only a little skin hanged on to that big piece of meat. It was revolting and the pain must be unbearable. I cried during the part where mom and son tried to go closer to each other but the strong currents kept pulling them away.

The native Thai villagers:
There was a scene where the Thais forcefully made their way into the crowded hospital with Maria on the stretcher. An officer tried to stop them at the entrance but they pushed their way through. I felt so much about this scene because those Thai people didn't know Maria personally but were so passionate about helping her.

Being alone: 
One little lucky thing was that Maria and Henry weren't alone when they emerged from the waters. At least they had someone they loved with them, to give them the strength to fight for survival. I am sure it would feel even worse if they were all alone without their loved ones. It would be so much difficult to strive on.

One quote by Henry in the movie which touched me too:

Henry: But you know, you know, the most scary bit for me?
Thomas: When the water hit?
Henry: No. After that, when I came up, I was on my own. That was the scariest part. Then I saw the two of you, clinging to that tree, I didn't feel so scared anymore because I knew I wasn't on my own.

Kids: 

The child actors in this movie are SO good. The couple had 3 sons. Lucas, Thomas and Simon.

Lucas was the one that went through the most with his mother as both of them were a distance away from the rest of the family when the tragedy happened. His acting was very good and depicted the fear one would have felt. He also shown traits of taking-charge and being caring/protective of his mum when she was weak. I cried over the mom and son scenes because I felt so much love between them and for a boy that age to be so thoughtful, it was a real blessing for the mom.

Thomas was the middle-child. He was actually just a kid but he was so sensible in taking care of his younger brother when the father was not around. The scene where the dad spoke to him in private, the look on Thomas' face was just so touching and it made me cry all over again. It's not easy to find sensible kids nowadays and I was so touched by that, especially because of his young age.

Simon, the little boy in the family, was a ball of cuteness. He brought a smile to my face whenever he appeared, with the adorable things he say. He is also a very good child and does not really misbehave.

I also find it quite cute that the boys, being so young, knew how to grab onto a tree each when the waves crashed. Their innocence makes me want to grab and hug them!!!

I particularly loved a scene when the family were overlooking the beauty of the beach in their hotel balcony. The dad said "Boys, come and see this. Isn't it great?". Then he continued to say to Simon "oh ya, I have to carry you up so that you can see it"...and proceeded to carry Simon on his shoulders. Behind them, little Thomas silently climbs up on a table on his own to see the view. SO DAMN CUTE.

Overall:
It was extremely heartwarming to see the family going through all this together. I recommend this movie very much!


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After the movie, we went to have dinner at Sou's Noodle for ala-carte steamboat and dimsum buffet! It's just a small eatery located in Changi Business Park. They claimed that it was only a 3 minutes walk from Expo MRT but it was actually quite a distance away! More than 3 minutes definitely, even if you drive.

Steamboat was so-so only and the dimsum wasn't served on bamboo steamers, just a messy presentation on a plate. That's why I have no nice photos of it. Dimsum variety was quite wide but well, can't expect restaurant-quality fresh tasty dimsum here though.

Lots of items that we ordered were out of stock that night, but no initiative was taken to inform us before we asked about it. Still, it was quite value for money because I realize that their usual non-buffet menu prices are not cheap either.

Probably wouldn't come here again due to the obscure location.