Juan Antonio Bayona's cinematic rendition of the gargantuan wave crushing everything in its path is neither entertaining nor escapist.It's a reminder of that horrific moment in 2004, the day after Christmas, when the tsunami snuffed the life out of hundreds of thousands of innocent victims.The film focuses on an upper class family of tourists facing nature's wrath.Swept along by the waves, the mother, Maria, and her oldest son, Lucas, are separated from the rest of the family.Maria is badly injured, but survives thanks to Lucas and the help of strangers.Meanwhile, Henry, the father, and the two younger boys frantically search for their loved ones.Gut-wrenching performances by Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as the traumatized parents, as well as by up-and-coming Tom Holland as Lucas, help us connect with the victims.Bayona and his special effects crew recreated the event showing the devastation from the perspective of the victims.The film evokes the chaos in the makeshift hospitals and the desperate search for family members.