Maps of Movies

The Impossible (2012)

Where The Impossible says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

The wave was filmed in a Spanish studio tank, but the hospital and the resort are real places in Thailand.

Scenes and places

The resort on Christmas Eve (2004)

A family of five arrives at a beach resort for Christmas, relaxed and unaware of what is coming. The calm sets up everything the film takes away.

Set in Orchid Beach Resort, Khao Lak — The new beach resort where the family settles in on Christmas Eve 2004.

A beachfront resort at Khuk Khak Beach in Khao Lak, on Thailand's Andaman coast.

Filmed at Khao Lak Orchid Beach Resort (Khuk Khak Beach, Khao Lak, Thailand) — Two film-location pages say the resort scenes were shot at the real Khao Lak Orchid Beach Resort, the place the Belón family stayed. The pin sits at Khao Lak town; the resort's own coordinates are not given in the sources. Google Maps · Apple Maps

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The wave hits the resort (2004)

Two days later the wave arrives and the resort is swept away. The family is torn apart in seconds.

Set in Orchid Beach Resort, Khao Lak — Two days after arrival the tsunami inundates the resort and the beach.

The scene is set at the resort, but the water was recreated in a studio tank in Spain.

Filmed at Ciudad de la Luz, Alicante, Spain (Ciudad de la Luz, Alicante, Spain) — The wave itself was filmed in a water tank at this studio in Spain, not in Thailand. Google Maps · Apple Maps

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Adrift in the flood (2004)

Maria and Lucas are carried through the flood, grabbing at whatever floats. She is badly hurt, and they stay alive by helping each other and a lost toddler.

Set in Flooded area near Khao Lak — Maria and Lucas survive by clinging to debris; Maria is badly injured.

The exact spot in the story is not named; it lies somewhere in the flooded area around Khao Lak.

The hospital in Takua Pa (2004)

Maria is rushed into surgery and tells Lucas to go help others find their families. Left alone in a crowded, chaotic hospital, he has to find his own way.

Set in Takua Pa Hospital — Locals take the injured Maria and Lucas to a hospital in the city of Takua Pa, where Maria goes into surgery.

A district hospital on Phet Kasem Road in Takua Pa, Phang Nga.

The bus station (2004)

Injured and alone, Henry reaches a bus station full of survivors. A stranger's borrowed phone lets him make the one call he needs.

Set in Bus station near Khao Lak — Injured and alone, Henry is driven with other survivors to a nearby bus station.

The station is not named in the sources; it is only described as nearby.

Taken up to the mountains (2004)

Simon and Thomas are left with another family while Henry goes back to search. Relief crews take them up into the mountains, away from the water.

Set in Mountain shelter — Relief crews take Simon and Thomas, in the care of another family, up to the mountains for safety.

The shelter is not named in the sources.

Characters

• Maria — A doctor on holiday in Khao Lak with her family when the tsunami strikes.
• Henry — Maria's husband, who searches for his family after the wave.
• Lucas — The eldest son, who survives with his mother and helps others at the hospital.

Questions answered on the map

• Where was the tsunami in The Impossible really filmed?