If You Loved 'La Palma,' You'll Adore 'The Impossible'

Netflix’s recent miniseriesLa Palmaexplored the aftermath of a volcanic eruption on the eponymous Canary Island, where there have been eruptions from the Cumbre Vieja volcano in real life — most recently, in 2021. The series examines how an explosion would affect both the people of La Palma as well as tourists, and the way that the characters are developed is strong, even if the natural disaster storyline itself is a little predictable. But whilea lot of people have been watchingLa Palma, the show hasn’t been doing too well with critics.

It’s difficult to watch the series without thinking of another natural disaster story — the 2012 filmThe Impossible. This movie centered around the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and was a lotmore rooted in fact thanLa Palma. StarringNaomi WattsandEwan McGregor, as well as an early instance of Tom Holland’s acting career,The Impossibledeals with how the tsunami affects a family holiday to Thailand. With the family split up, the stakes are high — and the performances from the central actors help to build up the tension. It’s a phenomenal movie, and definitely one to recommend for fans ofLa Palma.

Even at 14, Tom Holland Was a Great Actor

The Impossiblewas one ofTom Holland’s first movies. Before going on to become Spider-Man, starring in adaptations ofPatrick Ness’ young adult novels, and playing an award-nominated Romeo in Shakespeare’sRomeo and Julieton stage in the West End, Holland was still an acting marvel. He plays Lucas, the 12-year-old son of Naomi Watts’s Maria and Ewan McGregor’s Henry Bennett. Samuel Joslin and Oaklee Pendergast play Lucas’s siblings, seven and five years old respectively. Holland being the eldest of the three meant that, out of the child cast, he stole the show.

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He is paired with Watts for the first part of the movie, and their rapport is extraordinary — they’re completely believable as mother and son. Separated from Henry and the other children, Watts and Holland are given ample opportunity to show off their acting range, and they both rise to the challenge. When they discover another survivor, a young boy called Daniel, they rush to help — only to lose him again later on. Holland portrays the tenderness and pathos of Lucas brilliantly, and is a superb addition to this movie.

Naomi Watts & Ewan McGregor Are Incredible

It’s always a good sign when A-listers are given the chance to completely go to town in a movie, and this is definitely the case inThe Impossible. Balancing incredible emotional moments with well-defined and naturalistic characters is no easy task — and yet Watts and McGregor are amazing at it. Both actors bring so much to these characters. Watts is phenomenal as a concerned-yet-desperate mother, and it’s utterly believable that she would do whatever she can to protect her child — as well as Daniel, the boy that Maria and Lucas find along the way.

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The cast is on hand to discuss this true life drama, in theaters now.

Meanwhile, McGregor’s take on Henry is similarly excellent. He perfectly embodies the essence of a father willing to risk it all for the lives of his children and his wife. There are some truly heartbreaking scenes, and the eventual reunion feels earned rather than just like another story beat. Even though Maria and Henry are separated for much ofThe Impossible, Watts and McGregor manage to portray their relationship so well that the audience feels as though they have seen these characters’ regular lives, that they know what a normal day looks like for this family. These performances add so much to the drama and raise the movie to another level. It’s no wonderWatts was even nominated for an Oscar.

A Genuinely Tense and Emotional Plot

While the volcanic eruption inLa Palmais visually stunning and a good indicator of the severity of the story, the tsunami inThe Impossibleis somehow even scarier. Although the focus of the two projects is different —La Palmahas a lot more build-up —The Impossible’s strengths lie in the way that the film shows the aftermath of the tsunami. The main story is about what happens to families when tragedy strikes, and the movie pulls no punches. The danger and horrific impact of the (real-life) event are given a lot of screen time, and it’s an incredibly sad, yet tense, storyline. The tension is drawn mainly from the separation of the five main characters, while the more emotional beats happen at various points throughout the story.

Part of what makes the movie so tragic is that there are several points during its runtime that brutally acknowledge how not everybody made it through the tsunami alive. The scenes in the hospital are particularly harrowing, especially if any viewers have experienced family losses or natural disasters in their lives. The fact that the Bennetts are completely at the mercy of the disaster with no control over what could happen gives the movie an incredibly poignant flair, something that people in Los Angeles during the wildfires or New Orleans during Katrina can intensely relate to.The Impossibleis not a film that viewers will forget. You can watch it for free through the link below:

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The Impossible