Though many of the hotels and hundreds of homes have been rebuilt, jobs remain scarce and many families are still grieving for dead relatives.

"I don't want a movie shot here," said Wandee Sae-hong, a 32-year-old survivor from the nearby village of Baan Nam Kem, which lost about half its 5,000 residents in the tsunami. "I don't want to see the disaster again. It will bring too much sadness."

Other Thais welcomed the production, saying it could bring jobs to the area and serve as an educational tool.

"It's good because the next generation can see what happened," said Renu Suiraksa, a Khao Lak woman who lost her brother and 10 cousins in the disaster. "Before, I didn't know anything about a tsunami. But if we have this movie, people will be able to see what happens and maybe have time to run away the next time."

Thai survivors and relief workers say they were most angered that the crew chose to re-enact the disaster —complete with dead bodies and overturned cars — on the main road through Khao Lak that was devastated by the giant waves.

Others were upset the crew chose to put up flyers fliers throughout the tsunami-hit region, saying victims were needed as extras.

"It was pretty tasteless. People are not happy," said Robert Reynolds, an American charity director whose Srithong Thukaoluan Foundation is supporting more than 100 children affected by the tsunami.

Finola Dwyer, the drama's producer, said she regretted the wording in the flier flyer. But she defended the decision to shoot in areas hit by the tsunami.

"Why not? It did happen. It's not a piece of fiction," Dwyer said.

Dwyer said she faced similar challenges shooting the acclaimed drama "The Hamburg Cell," which came out in 2004 and delves into lives of the Sept. 11 hijackers as it recounts the meticulous preparations for the attacks.

For that production, her team chose to shoot in Hamburg, Germany, where hijackers hatched their plans — despite the fact that residents were "feeling bruised and raw from harboring these guys."

"'The Hamburg Cell' was a real challenge," Dwyer said. "It was balancing and working and navigating through all those different sensitivities and not wanting to cause offense but still wanting to make something truthful and real and reflective of the situation."

In Thailand, Dwyer said they sought and received government approval before shooting started because of the nature of the project. But even as they shot around the resort town of Phuket and Khao Lak, she said they were embraced by locals and even some survivors came to watch.

"When we were in Khao Lak, we had people come by and tell us their stories of how they were caught up in the tsunami," Dwyer said.

"Everybody acts differently. Of course, some people will get upset," she said. "But many of the survivors we met said, 'We are really glad you are doing this because people have already forgotten.'"