This weekend, I had a dream about escaping a tsunami. So I guess it’s no surprise that we finally decided to watch HBO’s Tsunami: The Aftermath.
Once again, HBO has provided an excellent production that reminds us of ongoing recovery needs. I think that When the Levees Broke was stronger, largely because it was a documentary and Tsunami is fiction based on the actual events. However, the performances are excellent. Sophie Okonedo and Chiwetel Ejiofor are particularly moving as parents who experience the tsunami in different ways, and must search for their missing daughter. (I was struck by the idea that Okonedo is all of the actress that Thandie Newton is not, and now am even more motivated to see Hotel Rwanda.)
Toni Collette is excellent as always. I might wish Gina McKee had a bit more to do as the mother of two boys who determinedly petitions her government’s local representatives for assistance (she seems so calm that, in the wake of The Forsyte Saga, I begin to question her ability to emote any sort of passion), but that is only a minor quibble in an otherwise excellent miniseries. It’s a shame only Collette was nominated for a Golden Globe–I am surprised that Okonedo was not so honored for her poignant performance.