'Aftermath' stirs debate
But when the British Broadcasting Corp. advertised for extras, the 38-year-old businessman put aside his personal feelings and spent five days portraying a corpse and a body collector earning $13 a day.
"My father, niece and nephew died there," said Boonlue, who also lost his house, seafood restaurant and mini market when the massive waves hit Khao Lak on Dec. 26, 2004. "I didn't want to do it but there is no other way to earn money."
The filming of "Aftermath" a two-part miniseries produced by the BBC and HBO, shot along Thailand's tsunami-battered coast has set off a debate over the merits of bringing the tragedy to the screen so soon after the disaster.
Supporters say it's an important story, touching on universal themes of hope and loss, while many survivors say reviving the tsunami has hit them with more heartache.
Similar debates among survivors have played out in the United States with "United 93," the first big-screen treatment of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and in Australia when there was talk of making a movie about the 2002 Bali bombings, the victims of which were mainly Australians.
"You are exacerbating the healing process," said Anie Kalayjian, whose nongovernmental Association for Trauma Outreach and Prevention has provided counseling to survivors of the tsunami and last year's Pakistan earthquake.
"On some level, they need to distance themselves from the devastating impact of the event to heal," she said. "Post-trauma means the trauma has to end and you need a certain distance before you can process your feelings and make meaning and sense out of the unimaginable."
Billed as a compelling story of survival and courage, the two-part series to be shown on HBO and BBC Two later this year follows eight characters in the aftermath of the tsunami, including a young couple searching for their child, an Englishwoman whose husband and son are missing, and a Thai man who lost his family and village.
The drama is being directed by Bharat Nalluri, and the cast includes Tim Roth, Sophie Okonedo and Toni Collette.
Khao Lak, with its white-sand beaches and stunning views of the Andaman Sea, was chosen as the location because a majority of the 5,400 people killed in Thailand came from surrounding villages on the country's southwestern coast, as did the thousands more left homeless.
Though many of the hotels and hundreds of homes have been rebuilt, jobs remain scarce and many families are still grieving for dead relatives.
Comments
- Solar pond expansion sparks comments 10:57 p.m.
- Restaurant destroyed by fire 10:57 p.m.
- Animals removed from filthy home 10:56 p.m.
- Mall owner seeks to retain zoning 10:56 p.m.
- Report: Tabloid hacked voice mails 10:47 p.m.
- National news capsules 10:46 p.m.
- 25 killed, 13 children, in Afghan blast 10:46 p.m.
- Drowning risk greatest in summer 10:38 p.m.
- Schools may give kids swine flu shots 10:36 p.m.
- Utahns hope NSA brings jobs 10:35 p.m.
- Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
- Utah's top 10: Wealth of recreation
- Restaurant destroyed by fire
- Send Boozer to the Bulls?
- MWC, WAC rushed into BCS
- O'Connor unhappy Fes not with team
- Jazz in back of line for free agents
- Keeping golf light on the wallet
- Fatigued Jazz no match for Pacers
- Teen injured in fall from waterfall
- Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
140 - Letters: Palin mistreated
136 - Teachers struggle with district cuts
134 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
121 - 'Tea party' protesters unhappy
107 - Fairness of BCS debated
81 - Stadium of Fire lights up the 4th
79 - Send Boozer to the Bulls?
76 - Chaffetz eyes challenging Bennett
72 - Moon landing: Let's hear from you
71
There were some errors in the reporting of the University of Utah's...
BYU will need to win it's last 4 games and Ventura County Fusion or LA...
Stadium of Fire is about making money. If you are critical you are said to be...
There goes another GM stock. Then again, who cares about the little...
ITS GOOD THEY HAVE A GOOD MANAGER LIKE STEVE WOOD WHO HAS BEEN THERE FOR MANY...
Keep in mind what the Jazz paid Okur - a guy who didn't hit 10 points per...
I agree with "Correction" at 10:17 a.m. Neil Armstrong insists that his first...
Re Okur: Disagree with #s 3,4,5,7 and 8. Don't underestimate our guys....
They used that "stomach exploding' myth with both Fizzies and Pop Rocks.
Tyrus Thomas is AWESOME! I'll drop Booz for 2 blocks a game any day. I can't...
I can hardly wait to hear the crying and whining when fans in Jazzland...



You can be the first to comment on this story.