The Boxing Day Tsunami claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, so it almost feels myopic that this film focuses on the plight of just one family. Still, it's a necessary evil of filmmaking, and through this one family we experience all the pain and confusion that many of the others must have felt. There are a number of truly painful scenes in the film - any time you hear terrified children screaming for their mothers it's bound to tug on the heartstrings at least a little bit. But interestingly enough, the most emotionally effective scene comes from Ewan McGregor's character as he's in a survivor's camp, borrowing someone's mobile phone to make a phone call back to England. But how do you make that call, and tell your loved ones the enormity of what has happened to you - that your wife and children are missing? He starts to speak to his father, but quickly breaks down into heartwrenching sobs. After he hangs up, having given his family no information because of his anguish, the others insist that he call back, even though the battery is dying and other people have calls to make as well. It's a touching display of camaraderie, as well as a devastating performance by McGregor, a truly underrated dramatic actor.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
