Tsunami: corsa contro il tempo

This documentary is a combination of footage from the tsunami in many different countries and of present day interviews with survivors and their families, seismologists working during the event, and the media who started to get the word out so rescue crews could begin to go save lives. It strikingly illustrates the enormity of the disaster that killed a quarter of a million people in 2004. The survivor stories balance the horror of what you see in the video footage during the disaster. It is graphic. You will see people being swept away. You will see people you know are about to be killed. You will see dead bodies. You will hear stories of people lost. And you will hear stories of survival, which is is the only thing that keeps the film from being too wrenching to watch.

As many others have noted, this could have been a longer series in order to include more of the sites that were devastated. Still, it was a very encouraging view - one that gave hope as we saw people helping each other, lost family being found, people surviving injuries, and the eventual establishment of an Indian Ocean Warning System. I was pleased with the approach of letting survivors talk and enhancing their descriptions with video. Is it complete? No. Does it show the lengthy process of recovery? No. But it is a different view that adds considerably to the documented history. I suggest watching all 4 episodes in one sitting.

This documentary tugs on your heartstrings in ways I can't truly express. On one hand what a relief it is to see some happy endings, and on the other the absolute horror at losing your dearest loved ones.

What a brilliant documentary this was, bringing to light and reminding us how cruel nature can be and yet how altruistic human beings are in the face of a disaster. Despite being only a child then in Malaysia, I still remember exactly what I was doing with my family on this very day. Experiencing the realisation of how lucky I am to have been with my family, all of us safe and sound miles away from this disaster truly moves me.

Watching the pain, hurt, grief and relief felt by the survivors as a result of the tsunami makes one realise just how resilient human beings can be. Can't recommend this recount of the 2004 Tsunami enough. Outstanding work!

I genuinely believe everyone should watch this documentary.

It's hard to understand the full scope of this disaster until you do. I never realized this tsunami killed a quarter of a million people.

The documentary wasn't pure "doom and gloom." Periodically, this documentary surprises you with people who survived unbelievable odds. Seeing them reunited with their families is extremely heartwarming.

The amount of "new footage" is stunning. Other pieces of media about this disaster focus on Thailand, but 170,000 people in Indonesia lost their lives.

This documentary should make you feel hopeful about humanity. The amount of people who stepped up to save complete strangers is staggering. It reminds you that every day you spend alive is a lucky day.

I heard a man say that 'he left a message for his family: "Don't be upset. If I die, it's because I was trying to save another's life." And then I jumped into the water.' So it wasn't the terrible tragedy and immense related suffering that moved me the most about the Tsunami of Christmas 2004. It was really two things: How desperate people were, not to "just run to a higher place & save myself," but to try to help save some number of others, many of them utterly random strangers to them! And this second most moving thing: how desperate parents were to ensure that their children' survived, including if it meant one or both parents would perish in doing so. And also, related to this, the many now-grown children who did survive it and credit their loving parents for what to this day they consider "a miracle."

If these stories of the worst earthquake (an 8.9) and resulting tsunami in recorded history don't serve to move you, then you're truly a sociopath (i.e., you have zero empathy and compassion for any other human beings, and by virtue of that, you help to drag down the rest of humanity!). The wise decision of the filmmaker(s) here was to let survivors tell all their own stories with minimal interruptions. Listen, learn and imagine what you believe you'd do in their shoes (or bare bloody feet). Although rating material like this seems literally insane, I'll give it 8.5/10 stars.