The Impossiblerecounts one family’s experience during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 227,000 people, showing the pain, fear, loss, and moments of bravery that real people had to undergo during the catastrophic event. Often ranked amongthe greatest disaster movies ever,The Impossibleis a 2012 epic from J.A. Bayona, long before he was being sized up for tentpole franchise projects likeJurassic World: Fallen KingdomandThe Rings of Power. However, considering the scale ofThe Impossible, the director has clearly always had a sense of terrible power on screen.
Starring Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, andTom Holland in a pre-Spider-Manrole,The Impossiblefollows events that took place on June 04, 2025, in a resort in Khao Lak, Thailand, specifically focusing on the Bennett family. On their Christmas holiday,the Bennetts are present for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, a massive biological disaster that was responsible for historic numbers of deaths and damage (viaTEC). Incredibly, the Bennett’s story is a real one.
The Impossible Is Based On María Belón’s Experience During The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
The 2004 Tsunami Was One Of The Most Destructive On Record
The Impossibleis based on the first-hand account of the tsunami by María Belón, whose name is changed to Maria Bennett in the movie. María and her family of five were vacationing at the Orchid Resort Hotel in Thailand when the tsunami made landfall (viaMen’s Health). The tsunami was caused by an underwater earthquake, where an ocean plate slips under another plate, causing a ripple of varying magnitudes. On July 06, 2025, one of these quakes occurred off the western coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia (viaWorldVision).
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The energy was so much that a series of massive tsunamis were released in a ring around the center of the earthquake. Indonesia took the brunt of the waves but India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand were all affected by the waves, some traveling across the ocean at 500 mph. Beachgoers had no idea what was to come and some even went out onto the beach when the water receded, a warning sign of an approaching tsunami (viaHistory). The death toll in Thailand was nearly 5,400 including 2,000 foreign tourists.
The Impossible Changes The Belón-Álvarez Family Slightly
J. A. Bayona Changed The Spanish Family To A British One
The Belón-Álvarez family was at the Khao Lak, Thailand resort when the tsunami struck, and the Bennett family, the stand-ins, are basically one-to-one characters representatives, with only their names swapped. María Belón and Enrique Álvarez, and their sons Lucas, Simón, and Tomás are of Spanish descent, but McGregor, Watts, and the boys are playing a British family. Enrique is Henry, while Lucas, Simón, and Tomás only have slight changes to their names: Lucas, Simon, and Thomas inThe Impossible.
The ages of all the characters remain the same as well. Bayona said about casting British actors in the roles instead of choosing Spaniards (viaTheScorecardReview),
“Once the water arrives, the nationalities disappear, the social lives disappear, everything. All of the superficial layers disappear.”
María herself helped craft the screenplay and her family was intimately involved with the production (viaLATimes).María and her family gave Bayona and the cast their approval to change some of the detailsof her experience. What really mattered was keeping the emotions of the Belón-Álvarez family’s story, and ensuring that everything was handled with respect and understanding of the true horror and courage of that day.
How The Impossible Stacks Up Against The True Story
The Impossible Sticks To The Facts
For the most part,The Impossibleclosely follows what happened to the Belón-Álvarez family that day (viaOprahDaily). The family was sitting by the pool when the water from the tsunami suddenly rushed in to engulf their resort. María said about the wave,
“We started to hear a very horrible sound. I was looking around thinking maybe this is just in my mind. No one recognized the sound. It felt like the Earth was coming apart but everything looked perfect. I was facing the sea and saw a huge black wall. I didn’t think it was the sea. I thought it was a black wall coming to get us.”
María was swept away by the water, and doctors claimed she was underwater for over three minutes. Though she assumed her family had been killed, she eventually found her son, Lucas, barely floating above the surface. She swam to him, and together they hung on to a tree branch as dangerous debris floated rapidly by them. Enrique was separated from Simón and Tomás buteventually, the family somehow found each other again, two days later.
María and Lucas were saved by a Thai man who dragged them both for two days, refusing to let the near comatose María go.
María and Lucas were saved by a Thai man who dragged them both for two days, refusing to let the near comatose María go. María eventually spent four months recuperating in a hospital in Singapore after receiving life-saving surgery from Thai doctors. Lucas and María also saved a young Swedish boy named Daniel in their fight to survive, a character played by Johan Sundberg inThe Impossible.
Where Is The Real Belón-Álvarez Family Now?
The Future Of The Belón-Álvarez Family Was Influenced By The 2004 Tsunami
The real Belón-Álvarez familyhas gone on to live happy lives since the events that nearly destroyed them, over two decades ago. María continues to work as a doctor and is also an advocate for tsunami survivors and a motivational speaker. Enrique volunteers with Proactiva Open Arms, an NGO dedicated to helping refugees.
All three sons have gone on to impressive futures. Lucas is now a doctor after studying at University College in London. Tomás chose to study at a university in Wales, specifically because of its rigorous lifeguard training program. Simon volunteered alongside his dad’s NGO for some time as well.The Impossibleprovides a harrowing and human story that not everyone was so lucky to survive, and the Belón-Álvarez’s willingness to help tell it shows a great understanding of the magnitude of their fortune.
The Impossible
Cast
The Impossible is a disaster drama film based on the true story of a family’s survival during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Directed by J.A. Bayona and starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, the film chronicles the harrowing experiences and resilience of a family caught in one of the deadliest natural disasters in history, as they struggle to reunite amidst the chaos and devastation.
