THE SEA INSIDE A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Alejandro Amenábar's THE SEA INSIDE (MAR ADENTRO), a strange ode to the joys of euthanasia, was Spain's entry for the 2004 Foreign Language Academy Award. The acting in the film is superb, and, although the libertarian in me had no problem with a man deciding to end his life, I never could accept how happy most of the characters were. Quadriplegic Ramón Sampedro (Javier Bardem in a role that'll probably earn him an Oscar nomination) explains his excessive smiling and apparent exuberance by saying that his smiling is his way of crying. A constant flirt, he has at least two women, one of whom was married, fall in love in him. Since it is "based on a true story," one wonders how much of it is true, especially in the attitude of the people involved.
An articulate and jocular man, Ramón attracts a host of people to his bedside, from relatives to complete strangers. Although he has been stuck in the bed for 27 years, after a swimming incident in the sea caused him to break his neck, he has only gained fame in the past few years for his repeated and unsuccessful petitions to the Spanish judicial system for permission to terminate his own life. Ramón's older brother is dead set against Ramón's suicide, but most everyone else in Ramón circle of friends are quite accepting and supportive of his decision to die.
Among the women in his life are Rosa (Lola Dueñas), a poor factory worker who always seems on the verge of bursting into uncontrollable giggles, and Julia (Belén Rueda), a wheelchair-bound, married lawyer who wants at various times to kiss him and to kill herself.
The production values of the movie, from the gorgeous cinematography to the luxurious music, are all top notch. But, no matter how authentic the story claims to be, it kept feeling like a manipulative melodrama wrapped up in a nice package with an attractive bow. In short, I liked it, but I never really believed that it happened in quite the way it was presented.
THE SEA INSIDE runs 2:05. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles. It is rated PG-13 for "intense depiction of mature thematic material" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film opened in September in various parts of Europe. It is being released nationwide in the United States on Friday, December 17, 2004. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.
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