This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Brand: Warner Brothers EAN: 0026359407925 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Hbo Home Video Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video Number Of Items: 2 Publisher: Hbo Home Video Region Code: 1 Release Date: April 24, 2007 Running Time: 185 minutes Studio: Hbo Home Video Theatrical Release Date: 2006 Sales Rank: 38055 MPN: HBOD94079D
Description: A tale of personal loss, survival and hope, this HBO mini-series focuses on the harrowing aftermath of the tsunami that devastated the coast of Thailand on December 26, 2004. Filmed on location in Thailand, Tsunami, The Aftermath follows a group of characters whose lives are irrevocably transformed by the cataclysmic natural disaster. Among those whose stories are followed are: a young couple searching for their child; a Thai survivor who loses his family and tries to prevent developers from seizing the land his village is built on; an Englishwoman whose husband and son are missing; an ambitious reporter; a relief worker; an overwhelmed British official whose faith in the system is torn apart; and a leading Thai meteorologist, whose earlier report detailing the inevitability of a tsunami hitting the affected area was ignored.
Amazon.com: A co-production of HBO and the BBC, Tsunami: The Aftermath puts a human face on the epic-scale disaster that struck the coasts of Thailand on December 26, 2004. The catastrophic aftermath of the history-making tsunami is impressively re-created as an otherworldly coastal zone of death and destruction, complete with such eerie sights as boats lodged into resort-hotel balconies and entire villages flattened by nature's wrath, but the real strength of this three-hour TV drama lies in its interwoven plot and characters (tourists and natives alike) whose lives were deeply and permanently changed in the wake of disaster. As directed by Bharat Nalluri and written by Abi Morgan, this well-made film drew justified criticism for weakening a factual disaster with fictional characters, but the story was so thoroughly researched (including interviews with survivors, etc.) that its very real human drama serves as an entry-point for viewer and characters alike to grapple with the almost unfathomable scale of the tsunami's destruction. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Inside Man, Children of Men) leads a large and excellent cast as Ian, a British tourist desperately searching for his missing 4-year-old daughter amidst the ruins of a devastated resort; he proceeds to help a young Thai waiter named Than (Samrit Machielsen) and is reunited with his wife (played by Hotel Rwanda Oscar® nominee Sophie Okonedo), who wrestles with her own issues of guilt and estrangement. Their parental anguish becomes the film's wrenching heart and soul.
The story also follows several other characters including a jaded journalist (Tim Roth) investigating official mishandling of the tsunami threat; another tourist (Gina McKee) coping with her husband's death and a severely injured son; and a devoted aid worker (Toni Collette) who cuts through bureaucratic nonsense to help those in need. Through these excellent performances, Tsunami: The Aftermath gains strength as an engrossing study of tenacity, compassion, and survival amidst chaos. Would a real-life docudrama have been more dramatically effective? Perhaps, but as a worthy alternative, Tsunami brings complex humanity to a tragic event that can't be neatly summarized with statistics, interviews, and round-the-clock coverage on CNN. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Impressive
This is a most impressive and realistic recreation of the terrifying consequences of this recent natural disaster. This is no maudlin tear jerker, and fortunately does not rely on special effects for its ... Read More
Rating: - Exceptional Series
This HBO series is so great! The story portrays the Aftermath of the Tsunami that hit Thailand in 2001. It is not a documentary but based on actual events that occurred just after the Tsunami hit. I love ... Read More
Rating: - An Ambitious HBO Miniseries Becomes A Misguided And Offensive Telepic About Everything Except Thailand
HBO Pictures has a pretty good track record when it comes to their Made For TV films. In recent years, their productions have dominated at the Emmy Awards and all but extinguished the network TV movie as ... Read More
- Impressive
- Exceptional Series
- An Ambitious HBO Miniseries Becomes A Misguided And Offensive Telepic About Everything Except Thailand