The Sea Inside (2004)

An Exercise In Nonsense

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The factual story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro (a near-unrecognisable Javier Bardem whose unflashy expertise acting does justice to him and his cause) , who fought to wish to die , a thirty-year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to pass away . Meanwhile , Ramon tries to stimulate his fertile but frustrated imagination . Ramon is tired of being a burden to his family , friends and an object of pity to others . He's even more tired of the Spanish government when his advocate in law Marc (Francesc Garrido) defends his case and Court refuses to allow him an assisted suicide means he can't attain the dignity in death he feels he's denied in life . Film explores Ramón's relationships with his family , sister-in-law (Mabel Rivera) , oldest brother (Celso Bugallo) , grandfather (Joan Dalmau) , and two women: Julia (Belen Rueda) , a lawyer who supports his cause and helps him his published memories , and Rosa (Lola Dueñas) , a local woman who wants to convince him that life is worth living and mostly attempts to persuade him to carry on . This is a feeling drama plenty of sensibility , emotion, dramatic moments , hugely engaging interpretations and sense of style . Direction , cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe, soundtrack also by Amenábar all are assured and respectful . It is a superior uplifting Weepie with some manipulative limitations that entail the story . This is the second Spanish movie about Ramon Sampedro's life, the first one was Condenado a Vivir (2001) by Robert Bodegas . It deals with a titanic fight carried out by the Galician ex-sailor against government , Justice and Catholic Church represented by another quadriplegic , a priest perfectly played by Jose Maria Pou . Very good acting by Javier Bardem as terribly restrictive quadriplegic confined to his bed with just books and the sight of the Galician hills outside his window . For international spectators the main attraction will surely be the immensely charming , very expressive acting of a magnificent Javier Bardem . Special mention to Belen Rueda as an adoring lawyer ; however , when Belén Rueda was phoned to be informed about she had just been chosen to play a role in an Amenábar film she hung up , as she thought they were kidding her ; from now on , she obtained a lot of important roles such as ¨The orphanage¨, ¨The Julia's eyes¨ , ¨The body¨, ¨Septimo¨, ¨No Tengas Miedo¨, among others . This was the most awarded Spanish movie at the Goya Awards, winning 14 of the 15 awards for which it was nominated . Selected by the Spanish Cinematographic Academy to represent Spain in the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 2004 Oscars. The motion picture was compellingly written -along with Mateo Gil- and directed by Alejandro Amenábar . Alejandro's slickness ensures entertainment , amusement and many engaging moments . Since his perhaps best-known early short-film "Himenóptero" in 1992, in which he directed , produced, acted and wrote the script and the music, Amenábar progressed and reached his first commercial success in 1996 with "Thesis", Amenabar was 23 when he directed this his feature debut , a film which undoubtedly showed that a major new director had arrived on the scene . And ¨Abre Los Ojos¨ that was remade in Hollywood by Cameron Crowe as Vanilla Sky (2001), starring Tom Cruise who in ¨The others¨ was executive producer along with Paula Wagner and this marked the last collaboration between Cruise and Nicole Kidman prior to their divorce . ¨Los Otros¨ (2001) was released a few months prior to Vanilla Sky (2001), the American remake of 'Alejandro Amenabár''s Abre Los Ojos (1997). Ironically, it starred Nicole Kidman's then estranged husband Tom Cruise . "Los Otros" confirmed his arrival in the cinematographic world and is Amenábar's first English language film and was the highest grossing Spanish film in the all-time worldwide box office history . In all his films Alejandro also writes the script and the music, as well as composing the music for other films , most notably "Butterflies tongue" (1999). He subsequently directed this ¨Mar Adentro¨ with the Oscarized Javier Bardem and finally the epic/historical ¨Agora¨ with Rachel Weisz . Rating : Better than average . Essential and indispensable watching .

As The Sea Inside indicates, the right to die with dignity is a very controversial issue not only in Spain, where the setting of this film is, but all over the world including countries like the United States. With that in mind, this film packed an emotional wallop as we learn the story about this man who wanted to die, despite being in relatively good health. This is a well-acted melodrama that is very hard to watch and even the strongest person may have a tear or two in his eye.Alejandro Amenabar's film is about a quadriplegic named Ramon Sampredo who fought for 28 years for the right to die after suffering a horrific injury in a diving accident. Ramon must face an uphill battle as he deals with the protests from the court of Spain as well as his family members.Javier Bardem delivers one of his best performances here as Ramon. Despite all what he is going through, he remains a cheery guy who smiles often. But once we hear the pain he is in and how he has enough of being in bed and unable to live life anymore, we can see this pain resonates. Javier Bardem does an excellent job on capturing the emotion and the reality of the suffering these kind of people face. Meanwhile, the two women who he becomes attached to did a great job. Belen Rueda as Julia and Lola Duenas as Rosa.Overall, The Sea Inside is a tough film to watch because of the subject matter but nonetheless, it is still a very good film that is very well made. Not only is the acting tremendous, but things that stand out are the makeup and the screenplay. This film has a very strong script and the makeup does a good job in transforming Javier Bardem into the man who wanted to die. Such a powerful film. I rate this film 9/10.

Ramón Sampedro (Javier Bardem) became a quadriplegic and ends up battling for the right to die in Spain for 30 years. Julia (Belén Rueda) is a lawyer who helps him in this fight and they fall in love. He befriends Rosa (Lola Dueñas) with her kids. She wants him to live.It's a biopic from director Alejandro Amenábar. I love the scenes where Ramón argue with Padre Francisco. Those scenes are electric. It's a movie that needs the conflicts. Javier Bardem is stationary most of the time and it's harder to generate physical energy. He does do some imaginary sequences where he gets up and even flies. They don't really excite me as much. This movie reminds me very much of "Whose Life Is It Anyway?" I wish there are more anger and more conflicts in the movie.

I've been a fan of Javier Bardem ever since No Country For Old Men came out back in 2007. His presence on screen was something extraordinary and i could tell the guy knew how to act. Sea Inside is definitely a film were his talent shines. The character he plays as is a paraplegic. After an unfortunate accident, he's left paralyzed from the neck down. After so many years he decides that he's had enough and wants to attempt suicide. As he tries to find the right person to help him, we get to meet so many great characters played by many great actors/actresses. From his family to his friends, you get this emotional bond between everyone and it really makes for a real powerhouse. You will believe Bardem is paralyzed, it's so effective. He makes it seem so realistic from beginning to end. This film has a very deep and dark meaning that anyone could feel for. It'll make you cry, it'll make you laugh and it will leave you in silence. If your a fan of Javier Bardem, or your a fan of a good and solid piece of art, do your self a favor and see this movie.