'The Impossible' Featurette

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Spanish Poster for 'The Impossible'

An unusual poster by Hollywood standards (though this is a foreign property with a Spanish director, Juan Antonio Bayona, and financing via Apaches Entertainment and Telecinco Cinema, with Warner Bros. only handling US distribution). Hollywood actors Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, however, anchor the production and it seems clear there are high hopes for US box office dollars.

No faces are visible, making the selling point strictly story-centric as opposed to star-oriented. These are regular people caught in terrible circumstances who struggle for survival. There is an unmistakeable emphasis on light from above, which denotes influence of fate or the divine. This element, perhaps, will resonate more with Latino audiences than it would the average American and probably won't be seen in US posters.

There is also a left-to-right motion/energy of the water and the trees (which lean to the right), which implies moving forward, (right to left would be backward), in the correct direction, in an evolutionary process -- that is, facing your destiny (or, in this case, being swept along by destiny) and clinging to what's important -- loved ones and family -- when all else has been stripped away. Thematic.

It's true, though, an earlier (Spanish) banner did show the faces of the actors. This was probably necessary in that it was the first poster and served to introduce the movie to the public. This new poster, however, indicates the PR guys are pitching a purely human story (to any and all markets [where people may face uncertain futures]).

It will be interesting to see what emphasis domestic posters will have, what the American approach will be.

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Stunning Trailer for 'The Impossible'

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Creep vs. Gore

'El Orfanata' (The Orphanage), directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, is shaping up to be the most rewarding creepshow in a long time -- and, not surprisingly, this picture is a Spanish production.

The Spanish seem to have a lock on creepy, character-driven movies of late. Guillermo del Toro recently gave us 'El Laberinto del Fauno' (Pan's Labyrinth), an atmospheric and lovingly photographed fable which, although it didn't quite maintain its forward motion in Act II, was original and enjoyable.

Del Toro's 'El Espinazo del Diablo' (The Devil's Backbone) sustains itself with more energy but, doesn't offer as compelling a set of characters, or story. Still, it's a lot of fun. Even his uneven 'Mimic' shows more heart than most -- I'd recommend it. All in all, Del Toro's movies are a breath of fresh air that, amid emotionally challenged and intellectually stagnate Hollywood horror fare, revive the imagination and renew one's interest in good storytelling.

And then there's perhaps the best of recent Spanish creepshows, 'The Others', directed by Alejandro Amenabar. Here Nicole Kidman is pitch perfect, the story manages to ratchet up tension at every turn, the cinematography is a pleasure -- with scenes that are both classically lit yet keep a contemporary fluidity in the camera and editing -- and even the ending (that most difficult thing to peg in a supernatural thriller) is satisfying. And, if Hollywood isn't convinced by those qualities, 'The Others' was a huge financial success as well.

Why is Spain the new font of character-driven suspense? With the waning success of the new super-graphic, ultra-sarcastic brand of Hollywood horror movie, Tinsel Town could take a lesson. (Not that they're likely to). But, one can hope. In the meantime mi gusto mucho los nuevos peliculos de Espana. Hey, that's the best I could do -- high school Spanish was long time ago. See you at the movies...