Whose life is it anyway?
Alejandro Amenabar's "The Sea Inside" is the
film that "Whose Life Is It Anyway?" was crying
out to be...it is a film that celebrates life,
embraces passion, envelopes the human spirit and
dignifies all of it with the inherent dignity
and birthright of choosing one's journey and
path amidst it all.
The true story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, a
quadriplegic who fought a 30-year battle for the
right to end his own life, "The Sea Inside"
flows through Sampedro's relationships with two
women...Julia, his attorney, who embraces his
cause and his fight and Rosa, a local woman who
desperately clings to the hope of convincing him
that life is worth living. The irony of
Sampedro's battle is that in fighting for his
own right to die he fostered empowerment, hope
and passion in the lives of these two women and
many others.
Javier Bardem is a revelation as Sampedro,
bringing to life the multi-layered emotions and
experiences of a man with so much life who so
desperately wishes to end it. Bardem inhabits
Sampedro completely, down to his Galician
accent, his movements, his abilities and his
disabilities. It is a performance that this
year's likely Oscar winner Jamie Foxx could only
wish to offer. While Foxx acts like Ray Charles
in "Ray," Bardem quite literally becomes
Sampedro in "The Sea Inside." It is a gross
injustice that this performance did not receive
an Oscar nomination.
Every aspect of "The Sea Inside" manifests
Amenabar's obvious respect and passion for
Sampedro's long battle. Much has been made of
the multiple roles of Clint Eastwood for his
wonderful film "Million Dollar Baby." Amenabar
himself has also scored this incredible film,
and the score itself is nothing short of
remarkable. It is more than an accompaniment to
the film...it is a true companion to "The Sea
Inside."
Stellar production design, breathtaking
cinematography and attention to the most minute
detail help to make "The Sea Inside" visually
hypnotic. Add to all of these factors, the
tremendous performances of the supporting cast
including Mabel Rivera as Sampedro's
sister-in-law and Lola Duenas as Rosa. Perhaps
my only issue with the film lies in the weaker
performance of Belen Rueda as Julia, and her
questionable motivations that diluted the
hypnotic presence of Sampedro. The film sort of
toys with a "love story," but never fully
commits...it's as if we are being hit over the
head with Sampedro is full of life and passion
and seductiveness...yet, in reality, the story
and the performance of Bardem was enough to
convey this truth...the "love story" wasn't
needed and was developed so thinly that the
surfaceness of it felt out of place in such a
deep, powerful film.
In a miraculous year for foreign films, "The Sea
Inside" stands above all of them with its
beauty, wonder, intellect and spirit. Javier
Bardem gives the performance of the year and
barely has to lift a finger to do it. If I
could, this paraplegic would give "The Sea
Inside" a standing ovation!
©
Written by Richard Propes
TC Candler's Comment
N/A
Jacob
Hall's Comment
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