Tsunami, The Aftermath
The making of the drama
"Powerful" and "moving" are two of the most overused words in television drama, but both of them absolutely apply to Tsunami, The Aftermath.
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大象传媒 Two's astonishingly potent and affecting two-part event drama centres on the aftermath of the devastating tidal wave that laid waste to great swathes of the Asian coast on Boxing Day 2004.
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A Kudos Film and Television production (Spooks, Hustle, Life on Mars, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard) for 大象传媒 Two and HBO Films, Tsunami, The Aftermath is written by the award-winning Abi Morgan (responsible for the Bafta-winning Sex Traffic and Murder).
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Featuring an outstanding cast led by Tim Roth, Toni Collette, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie Okonedo, Hugh Bonneville, Gina McKee, Kate Ashfield, Will Yun Lee and Samrit Machielsen, this is a tale of profound personal loss.
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Inspired by first hand interviews, it tracks a group of fictional characters whose lives are turned upside down when the cataclysmic tsunami strikes the Thai holiday resorts of Phuket and Khao Lak.
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Based on extensive research and made with the cooperation of the local authorities in Thailand, the drama examines the response to the catastrophe of governments, the media and aid agencies.
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It shows that when confronted by a disaster of this magnitude occurring without warning, many of these organisations are found wanting.
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The drama also homes in on the relationship between mankind and nature.
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Jane Tranter, Controller of 大象传媒 Fiction, hails the production as "a thought-provoking drama of loss, survival and hope.
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"Tsunami, The Aftermath is another example of 大象传媒 Drama's commitment to deliver ambitious and distinctive projects that reflect the world in which we live by delving into the headlines and revealing the stories behind them."
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Jane Featherstone, executive producer and joint MD of Kudos, adds: "The catastrophic events of Boxing Day 2004 had a profound and lasting effect on people across the globe.
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"Through meticulously researching real-life events, and by gathering first-hand testimony from people affected by the disaster, Abi has written an original and powerful drama that purposely asks what mankind can learn from the event, as well as reflecting on the far-reaching, emotional and political repercussions of the fateful day."
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For his part, Roly Keating, Controller of 大象传媒 Two, emphasises that a remarkably talented team of actors has been assembled for this landmark piece: "It's a tribute to the power of Abi's writing that such an extraordinary cast has come together for this important TV event."
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Featherstone, who has had a close working relationship with Morgan for the past decade, underscores that Tsunami, The Aftermath aims to be a truly wide-ranging drama.
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She says: "As soon as the tsunami happened, we were struck by the immense impact it had on all of us. It was an extraordinary event, played out on televisions all over the world.
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"We felt that by doing a drama about it, we could look at such vital subjects as poverty, class, charity and how governments respond to disasters.
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"Abi's great skill lies in the way she uses these multi-stranded stories. She interweaves them so they reflect off each other.
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"The film doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but I think it does give us lots to think about."
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The executive producer recalls that the ten days she and the writer spent in Thailand researching the drama constituted "the most extraordinary trip of my life.
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"It sounds like a clich茅, but it was a completely humbling experience. The people talked to us about their grief with the most incredible dignity. To me, it just underlined the strength of the human spirit."
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Morgan was similarly moved by the trip and her subsequent seven months of research, during which time she met many people, including NGO workers, survivors and victims' families.
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The writer observes: "I feel very humbled to have been allowed to talk to those people.
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"They have lost everything and now have to rebuild their lives. From the Burmese mother who lost three of her four children to the Western tourists who lost sons and daughters and sisters and brothers.
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"There is nothing worse than the loss of children because it is a loss not only of the present, but of the future as well. The drama is an attempt to create some understanding of that.
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"Obviously, I didn't want to intrude on anyone's grief or plagiarise anyone's stories. But everyone I met connected with the tsunami was aware of what I was doing and was very cooperative.
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"The drama brought home to me how your life can be changed quite dramatically in a single day, and that can be incredibly isolating. In writing this, I wanted, if I could, to try and help those people feel slightly less isolated."
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Bharat Nalluri, the award-winning director of Spooks, Hustle and Life on Mars, praises Morgan's writing:"When they hear the word tsunami, people instantly think that this will be a Hollywood disaster movie about a giant wave, but as soon as you start reading Abi's script, you realise it's not that at all.
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"It is something far more profound and more affecting. It is a subtle and deeply personal piece about how people respond to tragedy.
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"It is also stunningly authentic. Every time they read it, journalists, officials and aid workers who were there all say to me 'this is exactly what happened. She's got it spot-on'.
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"Without being in the least cloying or soapy, Abi has delivered great characters. They're utterly believable because what she has written is the truth.
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"I wouldn't have touched this film if I thought it was in any way exploitative," Nalluri asserts. "Having worked on it, I think I now understand better the amount of pain people went through after the tsunami. I hope this piece will help people heal.
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"A lot of them are suffering from guilt. They are tormented by such questions as: 'Could I have done better? Could I have done more to save my brother? Should we have gone skiing rather than to Thailand? If I hadn't insisted on Thailand, would I have lost my family?' That's a horrible place to be.
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"But I think if this film shows that there is no fault and no blame involved, then it might help people come to terms with what happened."
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Finola Dwyer, who spent many months in Thailand producing the drama, is standing in front of a beautiful neo-colonial house with impressive white colonnades and lime-green shutters.
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Although it is situated at Patong, on the south-east tip of Phuket, the house is doubling for the British Embassy in Bangkok.
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We are watching the filming of the British official Tony Whittaker's (Hugh Bonneville) annual "waifs and strays" Christmas party.
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He is in the middle of a jolly festive welcoming speech when news of the tsunami is phoned through. Within minutes, Tony has jumped into a car with Kathy (Toni Collette), a feisty Australian aid worker, and they are speeding down to Phuket to assess the damage and see what help they can provide.
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Like the rest of the film, this scene has been beautifully-designed by the production designer Richard Bridgland, who spent months in pre-production poring over news footage and assessing suitable locations in the Phuket area.
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The results look astonishingly convincing on screen. The authentic feel of every set in Tsunami, The Aftermath lends the film a rare sense of credibility.
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Finola Dwyer, who has previously produced such acclaimed films as The Hamburg Cell, Backbeat and Me Without You, underscores that this drama should resonate with everyone.
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She says: "Natural disasters can strike anyone at any time. By their very nature, they catch us completely unaware. I remember that in the earthquakes that hit Los Angeles in 1994, a lot of my friends lost their homes.
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"Things happen in life over which we have no control. This piece is about how we cope with the unexpected and the ensuing emotions of blame, guilt, faith and hope. Those are strong universal themes. You don't necessarily have to have been through the tsunami in order to identify with this piece.
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"Abi's script takes us on a journey with these characters. When you watch this film, you feel like you are in amongst these people, experiencing what they are experiencing. Abi has an extraordinary ability to engender empathy for her characters."
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Derek Wax, the co-executive producer of Tsunami, The Aftermath, emphasises the universality of the issues thrown up by this drama.
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"In the course of a single day, lives were changed completely," says Wax, who also collaborated with Morgan on Sex Traffic. "This tsunami had a massive global impact. It was the world's most terrible natural disaster in modern times.
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"The pain was all the more acute because it happened in a place that we view as paradise. Thailand has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and people flock to them from all over the globe.
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"Then out of the blue a tidal wave wreaked havoc at a speed which prevented anyone from being able to say goodbye to their loved ones. The shock of that meant the grief was much more intense and traumatic.
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"But despite the intensity of their loss, the survivors of such tragedies, whether it is the tsunami, the Pakistan earthquake or Hurricane Katrina, feel like their stories can ebb from the public consciousness.
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"They can fade away from view. Our drama should help to keep the tragedy in the public eye because it contains universal truths about how we all respond to these sorts of catastrophes. I hope Tsunami, The Aftermath won't make things harder for the families, I hope it will be cathartic."
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The producers of Tsunami, The Aftermath point up the significance of filming the drama where it actually took place.
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"It couldn't have been made anywhere else," Featherstone says.
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With a Thai cast and crew numbering more than 150, Morgan stresses that it was crucial to involve local people in the production, both in front of and behind the camera.
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She says: "It was particularly vital to have three Thai leads. They show the global nature of this tragedy. This was a disaster that affected everyone not just Western holidaymakers."
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The writer trusts that the drama will bring some benefits to Thailand: "I hope the drama highlights what a beautiful country it is and demonstrates that we bear a global responsibility for these disasters.
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"We should look, for instance, at the financing of the tsunami early-warning system. It's hugely expensive and we can't expect just one nation to support it.
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"As Westerners going there, we have to have a wider debate about how to keep those areas safe. The last thing we want to say is 'don't go', but if we visit paradise, we have to be aware of the risks and of the awesome power of nature."
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The makers of Tsunami, The Aftermath also thought long and hard about the delicate question of whether it is too soon to be making a film about this catastrophe.
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Morgan says: "We're acutely sensitive about the timing of this film. But when we were in Thailand, it was very apparent that the locals wanted to talk to us about the drama.
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"They are extremely anxious that the tsunami doesn't get forgotten. It's very important that we keep the memory alive and keep the debate going.
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"Of course, there will be people who don't like the fact that we've made this film, and we have to respect that. But we felt it was worth doing because it addresses urgent issues and asks more questions about the tsunami than have been tackled so far."
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Dwyer concurs:"Many locals out here in Thailand feel that people have already forgotten about the tsunami. News comes at us thick and fast. As the world is in a heightened state of chaos, every day there is a fresh tragedy.
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"People are fretful about the Middle East and the US. But I hope this drama will remind people about the tsunami and show that lessons have been learned. God willing, next time we will be better prepared."
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Morgan has always been attracted to these difficult subjects - why?
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"I'm always asking myself the same question," she smiles wryly. "I'm always drawn to writing about people under pressure. I just find them fascinating.
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"They're undergoing life-changing experiences that raise questions about how we live our lives today. I've never shied away from those really difficult subjects. I just think things like the trafficking of young women and our response to natural disasters are incredibly important stories to tell."
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So what will viewers take away from Tsunami, The Aftermath, one of the most absorbing dramas of this or any other year?
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Morgan replies: "I hope this piece may in some way help support the people affected by the tsunami and add to the debate about how we prevent similar disasters happening in the future.
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"I found working on this a very profound experience. It's an incredible honour to have been allowed to write this drama. It's an amazing privilege to be in this position, and the most important thing is not to abuse it.
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"After writing this, I could go back to my life. Unfortunately, the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the tsunami aren't so lucky."
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Tranter takes up the theme: "I think Tsunami, The Aftermath has very profound things to say about human nature. This is not a drama that grandly declares, 'out of terrible tragedy, great things come'. It does not suggest any redeeming features in that respect.
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"Rather, it offers tiny glimpses of hope. Look at Hugh Bonneville's character, Tony Whittaker, the representative from the British Embassy.
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"By the end, he realises he's been hopeless and made some appalling mistakes, but in the process he has become a better person. The drama shows small pin-pricks of light at the end of a horrendous tunnel.
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"At the end of the film, we see Gina McKee's character Kim Peabody drawing her children to her and putting one foot in front of the other. That's an important note to close on. It demonstrates that people are surviving and that the human spirit can be very strong indeed."
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