THE SEA INSIDE Review – Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, Lola Dueñas d: Alejandro Amenábar

MAR ADENTRO / THE SEA INSIDE (2004)

Direction: Alejandro Amenábar

Screenplay: Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil

Cast: Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, Lola Dueñas, Mabel Rivera, Celso Bugallo, Joan Dalmau, Tamar Novas, Clara Segura

Oscar Movies, European Film Award Movies

Recommended with Reservations

Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, The Sea Inside

Alejandro Amenábar's The Sea Inside often verges on melodrama and features as its centerpiece Javier Bardem's much too showy performance as tetraplegic man eager to end his life "with dignity." But despite its not inconsiderable flaws, this real-life-inspired drama is both compelling and touching enough to merit a look.

The story revolves around Ramón Sampedro (Bardem), a middle-aged man who has been bed-ridden and dependent on the care of others since a diving accident in his early 20s. (Hence the original Spanish title "Into the Sea.") Yearning for freedom from his mostly immobile body, Sampedro hires an attorney (Belén Rueda) to fight for his right to legally terminate his own life. The Spanish government, however, is none too willing to help him.

Thanks to an excellent makeup job, European Film Award and Venice Film Festival Best Actor winner Javier Bardem looks just right for the part of Sampedro. Unfortunately, as has often happened in his other movies, Bardem's performance frequently calls attention to itself in a manner that detracts from his characterization. So much so, that I found the character's last gasps unintentionally humorous.

Amenábar should have brought Bardem down a few notches, but the director/co-screenwriter opted to milk The Sea Inside's inherent drama as much as he could. In fact, Amenábar was the composer of the film's at times overbearing score.

On the other hand, The Sea Inside boasts excellent production values, including Javier Aguirresarobe's cinematography, while its supporting cast is generally first-rate. Particularly impressive are Belén Rueda as Sampedro's attorney, a youngish woman suffering from a degenerative disease; Lola Dueñas (above, with Bardem) as a troubled woman who befriends Sampedro; and Mabel Rivera, superb as the tetraplegic man's stern but passionately devoted sister-in-law.

The Sea Inside won a total of 14 Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress (Dueñas), Best Supporting Actress (Rivera), Best Supporting Actor (Celso Bugallo, as Sampedro's brother), and Best Screenplay (Amenábar and Mateo Gil). It remains the top Goya Award-winning film to date.

Note: A version of this The Sea Inside review was initially posted in March 2005.