Tsunami: corsa contro il tempo

This documentary is a combination of footage from the tsunami in many different countries and of present day interviews with survivors and their families, seismologists working during the event, and the media who started to get the word out so rescue crews could begin to go save lives. It strikingly illustrates the enormity of the disaster that killed a quarter of a million people in 2004. The survivor stories balance the horror of what you see in the video footage during the disaster. It is graphic. You will see people being swept away. You will see people you know are about to be killed. You will see dead bodies. You will hear stories of people lost. And you will hear stories of survival, which is is the only thing that keeps the film from being too wrenching to watch.

As many others have noted, this could have been a longer series in order to include more of the sites that were devastated. Still, it was a very encouraging view - one that gave hope as we saw people helping each other, lost family being found, people surviving injuries, and the eventual establishment of an Indian Ocean Warning System. I was pleased with the approach of letting survivors talk and enhancing their descriptions with video. Is it complete? No. Does it show the lengthy process of recovery? No. But it is a different view that adds considerably to the documented history. I suggest watching all 4 episodes in one sitting.

Throughout this beautifully done series, we see many people stepping up to the plate to help others, grieve over losses, express joy for miracles. And then there is a man whose story is so negative, it is strange that he is proud enough of his actions to be featured in this series. Beyond comprehension that he probably still does not understand how selfish his actions were. When finding himself in the middle an immense disaster, and being someone who has power - instead of reaching out to others, he uses his power to remove himself from the immediate situation and then uses the opportunity to further his career. Unbelievable.

This 4 piece documentary could have and should have been over 10 episodes. There is so much to look at.

The volunteers who made such a difference alone could be covered.

So many countries not covered.

There are so many golden pieces and parts that broke my heart too.

I was in Thailand that day and it was so weird how the country functioned. How it set to cope.

I've waited 20 years to watch even a 5 minute video of that morning. This is a solid and sensitive documentary. It's not made for money. It's there to show truly what happened and when. I still can't believe it all. Hopefully never happens again.

I heard a man say that 'he left a message for his family: "Don't be upset. If I die, it's because I was trying to save another's life." And then I jumped into the water.' So it wasn't the terrible tragedy and immense related suffering that moved me the most about the Tsunami of Christmas 2004. It was really two things: How desperate people were, not to "just run to a higher place & save myself," but to try to help save some number of others, many of them utterly random strangers to them! And this second most moving thing: how desperate parents were to ensure that their children' survived, including if it meant one or both parents would perish in doing so. And also, related to this, the many now-grown children who did survive it and credit their loving parents for what to this day they consider "a miracle."

If these stories of the worst earthquake (an 8.9) and resulting tsunami in recorded history don't serve to move you, then you're truly a sociopath (i.e., you have zero empathy and compassion for any other human beings, and by virtue of that, you help to drag down the rest of humanity!). The wise decision of the filmmaker(s) here was to let survivors tell all their own stories with minimal interruptions. Listen, learn and imagine what you believe you'd do in their shoes (or bare bloody feet). Although rating material like this seems literally insane, I'll give it 8.5/10 stars.