Summary

  • "The Impossible" is a 2012 disaster film based on the true story of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
  • The movie follows the Bennett family's fight to reunite after being separated by the disaster while showcasing other survivors searching for their loved ones, including a character named Karl.
  • Karl, played by Sönke Möhring, helps Henry Bennett find his family, and their friendship develops as they search for their loved ones, but the movie never reveals what happened to Karl's wife and daughter.

The Impossible tells the true story of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami on December 26, 2004, and Karl Schweber, played by Sönke Möhring, is one of the characters depicted trying to find his family after the disaster separated them in the film. The 2012 movie primarily revolved around the Bennett family, who were based on Enrique Álvarez, María Belón, and their children Lucas, Simón, and Tomás, and their fight to reunite following the earthquake and tsunami. However, the film also depicts other survivors looking for their loved ones amongst the chaos, including Karl, a German man Henry Bennett befriends in Thailand.

Aside from Möhring, the rest of the cast of The Impossible includes Naomi Watts as Maria Bennett, Ewan McGregor as Henry Bennett, Tom Holland as Lucas Bennett, Samuel Joslin as Thomas Bennett, Oaklee Pendergast as Simon Bennett, and Marta Etura as Simone. In the movie, Möhring and McGregor's characters meet at a bus station that had been turned into a place where survivors could seek refuge. Karl lets Henry borrow his cell phone to call his relatives in England, and afterward, the two men agree to help one another find their families. Unfortunately, The Impossible never reveals the fate of Karl's wife and daughter.

The Impossible Never Revealed What Happened To Karl's Family

Ewan McGregor as Henry and Sönke Möhring as Karl in The Impossible.

The 2012 disaster film begins with the Bennett family visiting Khao Lak, Thailand, during Christmas. However, the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami separated Maria and Lucas from Henry, Thomas, and Simon. Maria is gravely injured, and Lucas helps her to the hospital, where he tries to aid others in their search for their family members. Meanwhile, Henry is desperate to find his wife and son when he comes across Karl.

The second half of The Impossible features Henry and his new friend Karl searching in numerous places, including hospitals, to find their loved ones. Eventually, Henry is reunited with his wife and son, Maria and Lucas, but the movie never shows what happens to Karl and his wife and daughter. Henry gets to be by Maria's side at the hospital while she undergoes surgery on her leg, which was injured when the tsunami hit, while Karl is never seen again.

Lucas hugs his brothers in The Impossible
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Was The Impossible's Karl Schweber Based On A Real Person?

Sönke Möhring as Karl in The Impossible.

The Impossible is based on a true story, and most of the characters, including Karl, are inspired by real people affected by the disastrous 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. According to The Cinemaholic, Karl is based on a man who helped Enrique Álvarez find his wife and son, María Belón and Lucas. Unfortunately, not much else is known about the man, except that he lost two children during the disaster, which wasn't mentioned in The Impossible.

Source: The Cinemaholic