Monday, July 5, 2010

Profound Look at a Survival Situation

If you want to see (albeit from the safe distance of a casual observer) what it is like to survive a catastrophe, I urge you to log onto www.hulu.com and then select the Movie section and type in Untold Stories of the Tsunami. This will take you to a 45-minute documentary in which survivors of the 2005 Tusnami that killed nearly a quarter-million people tell their stories.

What you will witness here is some of the video footage that was shot by survivors as the earthquake was felt and half an hour later the waves rolled ashore. You'll hear the desperate cries and screams of those who are swept away and those who were left behind to deal with the aftermath. You'll see the total devastation of civilization that was in the path of the tsunami.

But most important, you will hear survivors tell the intimate details of what happened to them just before, during and after the disaster struck. How did they survive? What did they do to stay alive? What were their thoughts and feelings? What was the scene like as everything civilized was destroyed and they were faced with massive casualties and nobody to help them? In retrospect, what would they (or could they) do differently? How do they deal with loss of loved ones?

This short feature film is a bold and honest education in what really happens when all havoc breaks loose. I recommend that you watch it more than once, and analyze what really happens when all the trappings of modern society are suddenly gone.

For this movie, forget the popcorn — bring a notepad and pencil.

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