Tsunami, The Aftermath

Tim Roth, Toni Collette and Sophie Okonedo lead the cast in this powerful drama that focuses on the aftermath of the catastrophic Asian tsunami. Tuesday 28 Nov 9pm on BBC2

(Some previews here)

Also, a heartbreaking article from The Guardian's magazine last Saturday,
Back in the Deep, some excerpts:

Sasha Pagella, fundraiser (Survived the tsunami in Penang island, Malaysia)

There was a blue sky and the sun was shining. I was in the sea and noticed a savage current. I thought, "That's strange," then a man started screaming. I turned to see a grey mass coming towards me. The next thing I knew, I was clinging to a wall in this surging water. There was a tiny girl by me, and I reached out to grab hold of her. Our eyes met and our hands touched, but the wave knocked her away. It still haunts me. In the film, a little girl slips from her dad's grip. Watching that made me cry. Eventually I was hauled out and the water receded. Then the screaming started. There must have been 40 bodies strewn on the beach. I spent three hours desperately looking for survivors. I didn't feel happy to be alive. I felt lonely and guilty. The film captured that emotional experience. I want everyone I know to watch it, so they can understand what it was like. I felt so guilty about not being able to do more for that little girl. And then guilty for feeling guilty - because I could leave, but there were so many people who couldn't.

Clare Francis, works in local government (Survivor with Richard on Karon Beach, Phuket)

It was not the apocalypse. There were no horsemen on the horizon. It was the most beautiful day. It's this juxtaposition that really fucks with your head. There was someone lying on the ground with their neck twisted like an owl. A woman so lacerated there was fat spilling out of her arse. But it was a beautiful day. The film made it dark, dingy. It wasn't like that. You work in an office, you listen to some co-worker go on about whatever all day, you dream of getting away - and here you are in paradise. It was that beautiful.

I felt the earthquake in the morning. I went for an early morning swim. The water was choppy. By the time we walked up to the restaurant, there was no beach. I'm a bit of a panicker. I looked out to the ocean. There was no horizon, just a wave. I don't do feet and inches, I just know it was high. I ended up holding on to one of the posts that held up the restaurant, with my flip-fl ops in one hand. At this point I'm not thinking ,"I want to live." I'm thinking, "What the hell is this? It's just water. Water! " There were hair-dryer units in the water, beach furniture, cutlery. I remember feeling that cutlery.

The film could have shown a lot more of the strange behaviour. We saw the best and worst of people. There were tourists comparing video footage : "Did you get that? Did you get the guy going down the path?" One man went straight to the receptionist and asked quietly, "Where's the nearest airport?" I remember being covered in blood and passing someone coming down the stairs ready for a day at the beach. Or afterwards, a little Thai girl picking up pretty snapped fingernails. There was so much the film didn't or couldn't show.

I think when people see the film they'll see the wave and think, "Oh, it's not that big. I could have handled that." I don't think it depicts the Thai people and what they lost. They lost everything and still they helped us. That part was unbelievable.