The Sea Inside

Name: The Sea Inside
Genre: Biography, Drama
Released: December 17, 2004
Duration: 125 min
Rating: 74
Cast: Belén Rueda, Javier Bardem, Lola Dueñas

2004

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 55 Ratings

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8.1	User Score Universal acclaim based on 55 Ratings

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The Sea Inside

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Movie Details & Credits

Fine Line Features | Release Date: December 17, 2004 | PG-13

Starring: Belén Rueda, Javier Bardem, Lola Dueñas

Summary: Based on the profoundly moving true story that captured the world's attention, The Sea Inside is about Spaniard Ramon Sampedro (Bardem), who fought a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity. The film is the story of Ramon's relationships with two women: Julia (Rueda), a lawyer who supports his cause, and RosaBased on the profoundly moving true story that captured the world's attention, The Sea Inside is about Spaniard Ramon Sampedro (Bardem), who fought a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity. The film is the story of Ramon's relationships with two women: Julia (Rueda), a lawyer who supports his cause, and Rosa (Duenas), a local woman who wants to convince him that life is worth living. (Fine Line Features)… Expand

Director: Alejandro Amenábar

Genre(s): Biography, Drama

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 125 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Jonathan Holland

A dramatic triumph. Read full review

100

Michael Sragow

The Sea Inside brings us outside and inside ourselves, and takes us to brave new aesthetic depths. Read full review

James Berardinelli

The Sea Inside is uplifting. This is a movie that may cause viewers to both laugh and cry. Read full review

Peter Travers

The film, quite rightly, is a tour de force for Bardem. Read full review

Carla Meyer

It's moving, romantic, dreamlike, flawlessly acted and so engaging as to make you forget about euthanasia before it jolts you back into recognition. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Ethan Alter

The result isn't an easy film, but it is rewarding. Read full review

Michael O'Sullivan

I remained strangely dry-eyed up to the final shot. Read full review

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User Reviews

LizB.

Jun 9, 2007

Brilliant and subtle; so many layers of meaning for multiple watchings; profound.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

Barna

Dec 25, 2005

A very moving story, perfectly crafted from all angles.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

RegOz

Apr 5, 2012

Touching, powerful, intense....Amenabar does it again! This is not just a movie about solitude, it is also a movie about courage, integrity and friendhsip. I am fluent in both languages (English and Spanish). It is great in both...better in teh original of course...the subtitles are neverTouching, powerful, intense....Amenabar does it again! This is not just a movie about solitude, it is also a movie about courage, integrity and friendhsip. I am fluent in both languages (English and Spanish). It is great in both...better in teh original of course...the subtitles are never the same, but its beauty trascends the barrier of the language, anyway!… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

jimmytancredi

May 29, 2011

"Mar adentro" is a movie through touch on the innermost hearts. I'ts not just any story that makes us reflect on the validity of our own lives. And for the construction of the message are added to the powers of the director, actors, soundtrack, assembly and photography."Mar adentro" is a movie through touch on the innermost hearts. I'ts not just any story that makes us reflect on the validity of our own lives. And for the construction of the message are added to the powers of the director, actors, soundtrack, assembly and photography. AmenÃ¡bar is an extraordinary filmmaker. He could really force the emotions of those watching through primary devices that Hollywood is still trying to use (and that Spielberg, for example, dominates like nobody). Instead, he lets the emotional potential of the situations portrayed itself excites the viewer, producing true feelings. Much of it by Javier Badem delivers his best performance in his career. In that sense, what won me over was the fact that Ramon, his character was, at least in the film, an amazing person. Their speeches denouncing a tremendous sobriety and a realistic science of what it means dignity. It is impossible not to empathize with the subject. "The Sea Inside" is a story truly worthy of being known. If I had the opportunity to speak with Ramon, I'd say, "Ramon, friend, I support your decision."… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

amheretojudge

Nov 21, 2018

smart negotiations and impressive tactics..

The Sea Inside Amenabar's resistance force is much more powerful than the opposing one that tries to penetrate it. Without overridden the complex issues like dwelling on the past and the backstory of the protagonist, it is pretty much what's upsmart negotiations and impressive tactics..

The Sea Inside

Amenabar's resistance force is much more powerful than the opposing one that tries to penetrate it. Without overridden the complex issues like dwelling on the past and the backstory of the protagonist, it is pretty much what's up front. And dealing it with smart negotiations and impressive tactics, Amenabar keeps the storyline on the edge and the emotions on the surface. And despite of it being dipped entirely into a pathos bubble, it never grows manipulative, it succumbs a bit to express on a large scale similar to its characters, but the message finally reaches adequately to the audience. The fascinating substance in here is not the concept, but where the storyline which drives that little piece of idea.

Also, personal story aside, the debate that it ping pongs throughout the movie about the life and death is worth pondering about. Obviously the characters are humble and caring on both the sides but they are also gritty and honest. The conversations are pragmatic and layered monologues echos between those silent pitches. It is a tale that relies a lot upon the performance and the cast is giving their best and are thoroughly convincing. Bardem once again proves that he is the real deal. He chokes up at essential moments whilst breaking down that melts you down.

His emotions paints this darker picture into a brighter one with an inspiring tone of fighting back for one more round. The supporting cast too has done a tremendous work on delivering the magnitude of the situation and serve it up front. The dramatic sequences are weaved out to be cinematic where each step of the structure is glorified to keep the audience tangled. The Sea Inside is more of what's inside Bardem's gift basket that he keeps offering, a tremendous work on portraying such a role.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Broyax

Aug 11, 2019

Un plaidoyer pour l'euthanasie qui dure deux plombes et subjectivement beaucoup plus longtemps, tellement longtemps que ce n'est plus le pauvre gars qu'on souhaite euthanasier (selon sa volonté bien légitime) mais le film tout entier.

Trop lent donc, trop lourd et tellement ennuyeux que leUn plaidoyer pour l'euthanasie qui dure deux plombes et subjectivement beaucoup plus longtemps, tellement longtemps que ce n'est plus le pauvre gars qu'on souhaite euthanasier (selon sa volonté bien légitime) mais le film tout entier.

Trop lent donc, trop lourd et tellement ennuyeux que le film se loupe totalement sur l'empathie qu'il est censé nous faire ressentir, malgré l'excellente prestation de Javier Bardem, acteur éminent et bourré de talent. Evidemment, le film fait débat, que ce soit dans le film ou en dehors de celui-ci, surtout en Espagne, pays très catholique mais aussi chez nous où le droit de mourir dans la dignité est un long chemin de croix...

En dépit de ses bonnes intentions, Mar adentro est donc hautement indigeste et d'une pénibilité qui devrait être remboursée par la sécurité sociale.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

FilipeNeto

Oct 3, 2021

I find it difficult to remain indifferent to this film, directed by Alejandro Amenábar, one of the best and most respected Spanish directors today. The film is strongly based on the life of Ramón Sampedro, a Spanish quadriplegic who defended the right to euthanasia and ended up committingI find it difficult to remain indifferent to this film, directed by Alejandro Amenábar, one of the best and most respected Spanish directors today. The film is strongly based on the life of Ramón Sampedro, a Spanish quadriplegic who defended the right to euthanasia and ended up committing suicide, with the support of a friend. It is, therefore, a strongly fractured film, which is hated or adored depending on whether the public defends, or rejects, euthanasia. There is no way to avoid this: the film is not just a biography, it does not adopt a neutral stance... the film defends Sampedro's perspective and the supposed right to die.

Personally, I am against euthanasia. Radically. It was a topic debated in my country not long ago, and I was one of many who fought against it, just as I would have done if capital punishment had been discussed, and in the same way as I did before when abortion was debated. As a rule, I do not accept that a man may have the legal right to take another human being's life, even if he asks for it repeatedly (this is what happens in euthanasia, as we assume that they are people who would have already committed suicide if they could do it by their own means). The right to die cannot supersede the moral duty not to kill. It's my opinion. And so, seeing this film shocked me for its militancy in favor of euthanasia. I understand the reasons, but I can't agree.

But this only serves to understand why I gave the film such a low rating: it is not because the film is bad, but because it is so militant, like a very expensive piece of propaganda. Bardem's character says that he doesn't feel alive because he is only able to talk and move his head, depending entirely on others. Jean-Dominique Bauby, whose life was also brought to the movies with "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", was so paralyzed that he could only blink one eye, and he still managed to write a book! If we stop for a moment and look around, we will see many other cases of people, including anonymous ones, who endure suffering lives the same way, or event worse, than Señor Sampedro, and who manage to be examples of persistence and tenaciousness. Giving up our own life is simply throwing the towel to the ground.

Javier Bardem is an excellent actor, and it costs me to see him associated with a film as propagandistic as this one, but I recognize his excellent work and his commitment to the character. It's not just a question of makeup, although that helped... the actor is good, and he's in great shape here. Belén Rueda is also a good addition to the cast and gives us one of the most important jobs of his career so far. There are other good actors, like Clara Segura or Lola Dueñas, but I confess I don't know them that well.

Technically, the film has Amenábar's master hand, starting with its careful cinematography and excellent filming work. The light, the use of colors (the highlight is blue and gray tones in some more intimate scenes), the shadows, all helped the director to create an environment conducive to moral, almost philosophical, meditation. The dialogues are important, although Bardem's text contains the most propaganda-laden pieces, some of them authentic monologues. The sets and costumes are good, the choice of filming locations is excellent, the soundtrack is immersive... everything is quite good. It's just a pity to be propaganda.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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73	#73 Best Movie of 2004
76	#76 Most Shared Movie of 2004