Sea Inside

Theatrical Release Date: 2004 12 17 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 794043784026

Studio: New Line Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language]

Summary: Two of the most talented figures in contemporary Spanish cinema -- actor Javier Bardem and director Alejandro Amen?bar -- collaborate for this powerful drama, based on a true story. Ram?n Sampedro (Javier Bardem) was a fisherman and part-time poet who, at the age of 26, suffered an accident while diving that left him a bedridden quadriplegic. Now 54, Ram?n must depend on his family to survive -- his macho brother Jos? (Celso Bugallo), Jos?'s wife, Manuela (Mabel Rivera), and their son, Javi (Tamar Novas). While grateful to his family and friends for their help, Ram?n was always an active person, and as the years wore on, he has come to see his life as frustrating and pointless and wishes to die with what remains of his dignity. Jos?, however, is bitterly opposed to the notion of assisted suicide, and Spanish laws would implicate anyone who helped Ram?n end his own life, which is something Ram?n does not want to do. Through Gen? (Carla Segura), a friend who works with a "Right to Die" organization, Ram?n is introduced to Julia (Belen Rueda), a lawyer he hopes will help him persuade the courts to let him end his own life. Julia is dealing with her own mortality issues since being diagnosed with a degenerative disease, and Ram?n hopes her condition will make her arguments more persuasive. As Ram?n and Julia work together on his case and help to prepare a book of his poems for publication, Ram?n finds himself falling in love with his attorney, who happens to be married, but while his infatuation gives Julia second thoughts about the case, Ram?n remains convinced that the greatest gift to him would be an end to his life. Javier Bardem's performance in The Sea Inside (aka Mar Adentro) earned him the Best Actor award at the 2004 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Grand Jury Silver Lion – Venice International Film Festival Best Actor – Venice International Film Festival Film Presented – Toronto International Film Festival Best Foreign Film – National Board of Review Best Foreign Film – Independent Spirit Awards Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Foreign Language Film – null Best Actor – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Makeup – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Makeup – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Foreign Film – London Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: ccDeleted scenes
Documentary "A Trip to the Sea Inside"
Director commentary, storyboards, photo and set design galleries
Theatrical trailer

Sea Inside

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 05/17/2005

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS Dolby Digital Surround

Runtime: 125 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) Spanish

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Imagine [4:46]
2. "Why Choose Death?" [7:25]
3. "Negra Sombra" [7:00]
4. Identifying With Ramon [2:13]
5. Reflections [8:18]
6. Taking Flight [7:58]
7. Julia Falls Ill [10:00]
8. Heart to Heart With Rosa [13:22]
9. Banter With Padre Francisco [3:52]
10. Surprise Visitor [6:12]
11. Preparing for Court [8:59]
12. Justice? [9:40]
13. The Package [6:24]
14. Off to Boiro [6:38]
15. Dignity Found [8:03]
16. Out to Sea [7:12]

Derek Armstrong

Leagues beyond a disease-of-the-week movie, and a total departure for its director, The Sea Inside is a potent emotional journey anchored by powerhouse performances. It turns out that Alejandro Amen?bar, known for gothic horror (The Others) and existentialism (Abre los Ojos), can do lyrical intimacy with equal finesse. Amen?bar's technique is partly responsible for bringing Ramon Sampedro to life; his camera explores the rolling landscape of Sampedro's mind, as well as the photographs of his bedroom, which show the rich exuberance of Ramon's youth. But The Sea Inside wouldn't be half the experience without the work of Javier Bardem. He's such a charismatic figure, so quick to flirt or joke, that he can seduce even from his state of permanent recline, and at times, the 2004 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film is equally satisfying as a wistful romance. Ramon's very quickness of wit provides the film with a central conundrum: how can a person who seems so harmonious with his world want to end his life? The Spanish countryside provides an idyllic backdrop for such weighty philosophical debate, deceptively appropriate in the way it accentuates the fragile beauty of life -- especially as captured through Javier Aguirresarobe's cinematography. Amen?bar's script is also keenly attuned to life's absurdities. A memorable argument transpires between Ramon, stubbornly confined to his bed, and a paralyzed priest, down two floors because his wheelchair couldn't be carried any higher into the house. A messenger runs between the two, exchanging barbs, but their polarized views lie a much greater distance apart. Ramon's sardonic outlook on religious salvation cannot be shaken, and Bardem's performance convinces the audience there's no reason it should be. The range of perspectives of those who care about him lends the film additional poignancy, never crossing over into maudlin sentiment. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Xose Manuel "Pico" Olveira  Actor 
Xose Manuel Esperante  Actor 
Alberto Amarilla  Actor 
Adolfo Obregon  Actor 
Andrea Occhipinti  Actor 
Nicolas Fernandez Luna  Actor 
Juan Manuel Vidal  Actor 
José Luis Rodriguez  Actor 
Marta Larralde  Actor 
Federico Perez Rey  Actor 
Julio Jordan  Actor 
Yolanda Muinos  Actor 
Raul Lavisier  Actor 
Cesar Cambeiro  Actor 
Alejandro Amenábar  Director 
Alejandro Amenábar  Composer (Music Score) 
Alejandro Amenábar  Producer 
Alejandro Amenábar  Screenwriter 
Fernando Bovaira  Producer 
Mateo Gil  Screenwriter 
Javier Bardem  Actor 
Belén Rueda  Actor 
Lola Dueñas  Actor 
Mabel Rivera  Actor 
Celso Bugallo  Actor 
Clara Segura  Actor 
Joan Dalmau  Actor 
Alberto Jiménez  Actor 
Tamar Novas  Actor 
Francesc Garrido  Actor 
Josep Maria Pou  Actor 

Country: Spain