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Sea Inside, The (2004)
Director:
Alejandro Amenábar
Stars: Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, Lola Dueñas
Release Company:
Fine Line Features
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Official
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The Sea Inside
Original Poster
Buy at AllPosters.com
 
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"Ample make this bed.
Make this bed with awe;
In it wait till judgment break
Excellent and fair."
-- Emily Dickinson
Taking on the challenge of playing quadriplegic Spaniard Ramón Sampedro, Javier Bardem solidifies his place among the world's top character actors, using primarily his eyes and mouth to make The Sea Inside (Mar adentro) one of the most emotionally intense, life-affirming films of 2004. In real life Sampedro campaigned for 30 years for the right to die with dignity, and the film focuses on his final two years and his relationships with two women who initially come from both sides of the euthanasia issue, only to eventually come to agreement through his love.
Paralyzed from the neck down after a diving accident as a young man, Sampedro has spent 28 bedridden years in the same room of his older brother's house. He can use his mouth to operate a computer and write using a wooden pen, but mostly he listens and observes music, radio and television, a countryside window, and his visitors. His creative mind occasionally takes imaginary trips to his beloved seaside to escape the boredom of his existence; he steadfastly refuses to use a wheelchair for mobility, as he finds this too artificial and represents only a vestige of freedom. Bardem paints an unforgettable portrait of the paradoxical poet—a generally cheerful soul who puts his visitors at ease and cheers them despite his own continual fight for death.
Sampedro eloquently pleads his case (embracing listeners with a broad smile), and makes it plain that he is not speaking for euthanasia for all quadriplegics—it's only the right thing for Ramón Sampedro. He holds that each individual should make his own choices without governmental or religious restrictions, and at one point declares to a judgmental quadriplegic Catholic priest that "a life without freedom is not a life." Sampedro doesn't devalue life, clearly illustrated early on when he admonishes his nephew Javi (Tamar Novas) for wishing his grandfather conveniently dead—"Some day, you'll regret those words," he prophesizes (realizing that the same sentiments also apply to himself in his "useless" state).
Director Alejandro Amenàbar avoids the formulaic Hollywood take on euthanasia. Such treatments are inevitably melodramatic and manipulative, but Amenàbar draws us into his deftly crafted character study gradually without demanding that we take a stance on the issue despite its importance to Sampedro's public persona. Rather, we are taken on a far more personal and intimate journey that illustrates the details of his daily existence and exchanges with his family members and visitors. Small moments shows various ways Sampedro employs to connect his nephew with his grandfather—whether to craft a special mechanical invention or the sweet moment when both excuse themselves from the table to tend to Sampedro when they really just want to watch soccer on his television.
The deepest emotional core rests with the scenes with a sympathetic lawyer, Julia (Belén Rueda), with whom he has fallen in love, and with local factory worker and amateur DJ, Rosa (Lola Dueñas), who has fallen in love with Ramón. Added to that is his deeply caring sister-in-law, Manuela (Mabel Rivera), who is decidedly conflicted about the morality of euthanasia but has embraced Ramon unconditionally as family and steadfastly strives to protect him and meet his needs. Julia and Rosa come from opposing ends of the euthanasia spectrum initially—Julia understanding Ramon's desires for death, as she also extreme health challenges due to frequent strokes. Rosa's first meeting with Ramón ends disastrously, as he penetrates her real reason for visiting, causing her to analyze her own frustrations with life. Rosa had hoped to offer him a reason to live, but soon discovers that Ramón shields himself from judgmental people that come with set agendas that counter his.
No intimate scenes with his brother can take place. His brother thinks his brother's campaign immoral and a disgrace to the family, actually revealing resentment about how sacrificing and caring for his injured brother has caused him to abandon his own dreams. An even sorrier (but humorous) exchange occurs when a quadriplegic priest arrives to lay Catholic dogma on Sampedro's soul. The priest's wheelchair can't maneuver up the stairs, so a surreal rhetorical exchange takes place between the two, with a conflicted intermediary priest carrying the messages. Sampedro mischievously relishes the debate and matches the dogmatic teachings with creative counters and metaphors until the priest makes an unfortunate Hitler comparison—"Don't compare apples and assholes," shouts Sampedro.
People who fear that such a movie may be a real downer should put those feelings aside. Like Rosa, they should find that Sampedro's gentle humor and intense listening skills cannot fail to charm all those who come in contact. At least the version offered here with Javier Bardem's definitive performance—one that far outstrips his work in Before Night Falls. Why that film warranted an Oscar nomination instead of The Sea Inside remains a mystery, considering how Bardem's physical constraints here do not hold him back from creating the most riveting and soul stirring character captured on film in 2004.
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