The new HBO miniseries “Tsunami: The Aftermath” opens with an almost serene panorama of the vast ocean off the coast of Thailand.
And while the viewer knows what the movie is about – the disaster that killed tens of thousands of people in 12 countries two years ago – the assumption is that the disaster is imminent.
But it has already happened. The ever-so-brief moment of calm, which is quickly wiped away, is the last that will be experienced during the course of the four hours that follow.
“Tsunami: The Aftermath” airs in a pair of two-hour installments. It premieres at 8 p.m. Sunday, with the conclusion at the same time a week later.
The miniseries follows a group of fictionalized characters based on extensive interviews and research by the writer, Abi Morgan, who began working on the project just seven months after the disaster. She thought a fictional account was her best approach.
“I was acutely aware that I didn’t want to intrude on people’s grief,” Morgan said. “And I was very concerned about plagiarizing people’s stories. And, more than anything, my job as a writer is to interpret.”
For Americans, who less than a year after the tsunami switched their focus to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the complexities run much deeper than expected. The disaster was much more than a bunch of water that killed a bunch of people. A story line of a Thai survivor who lost his family but must fight to keep developers from seizing his village’s land is something to behold.
Other stories are told through the experiences of a young couple (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sophie Okonedo) who fear they’ve lost their 6-year-old daughter; an Englishwoman whose husband and son are missing; a Western reporter whose outrage sometimes gets the better of him; a relief worker; and a British official whose faith in the system is tested.
The film was shot on location in Phuket and Khao Lak, Thailand, giving the actors and crew a first-hand look at the remnants of the place and at the people whose stories they were trying to re-enact.
“Some people, you know, weren’t ready to talk about it and were scared to do that, where some people didn’t want us there,” said Tim Roth, who plays the reporter. “But there were a lot of people who did, you know, did want us to tell their story.”
As for the inevitable question of whether it’s too soon for such a retelling, it likely isn’t being done soon enough.
“Everyone we spoke to felt that they wanted the film to be made sooner so that people wouldn’t forget,” producer Jane Featherstone said. “Other disasters come along. Other things happen, and it’s important that, you know, people don’t forget about this one and about what we learn from it.”
Victor Balta’s column runs Mondays and Thursdays on the A&E page. Reach him at 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
For more TV scoop, check out Victor’s blog at heraldnet.com/blogpopculture.
On TV
“Tsunami: The Aftermath,” part one, 8 p.m. Sunday, HBO; part two, 8 p.m. Dec. 17, HBO
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