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Movies / On DVD / The Sea Inside
The Sea Inside

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The Sea Inside (2004)

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Reviews Counted:126

Fresh:105

Rotten:21

Average Rating:7.5/10

Consensus: Critics are hailing Alejandro Amenabar’s portrait of a man who chooses to die as Oscar-worthy, powerful and life-affirming, in its way. However, some have called it melodramatic and manipulative.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for intense depiction of mature thematic material.

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:11-02-2005

Synopsis: Javier Bardem gives a remarkable, unforgettable performance in Alejandro Amenabar's gripping drama about dying with dignity, THE SEA INSIDE. Thirty-five-year-old Bardem plays 55-year-old Ramon... Javier Bardem gives a remarkable, unforgettable performance in Alejandro Amenabar's gripping drama about dying with dignity, THE SEA INSIDE. Thirty-five-year-old Bardem plays 55-year-old Ramon Sampedro, a Galician who broke his neck as a young man and has spent more than a quarter of a century as a quadriplegic, confined to bed. Reflecting on his past and considering his future, he chooses to die, petitioning the courts for permission to be euthanized. His radical decision sets off controversy throughout Spain--as well as in his own house, where his family and friends all have different opinions on the fate he has chosen. While Ramon's father (Alberto Gimenez) and brother (Celso Bugallo) refuse to help him die, and his nephew, Javi (Tamar Novas), tries to understand his uncle's decision, Ramon is surrounded by women who virtually fight over him--Rosa (Lola Duenas), a single mother of two who visits him to talk about her difficult life; Manuela (Mabel Rivera), his sister-in-law who takes care of his daily needs; Gene (Clara Segura), who works for the Death with Dignity organization; and Julia (Belen Rueda, in a powerful film debut), a married lawyer with a secret of her own. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Venice Film Festival, THE SEA INSIDE is a special film with marvelous acting, a strong soundtrack, a moving story, and an enchanting visual style that features poetic shots of the countryside as Ramon dreams he can fly. [More]

Starring: Javier Bardem, Belen Rueda, Lola Dueńas, Mabel Rivera

Starring: Javier Bardem, Belen Rueda, Lola Dueńas, Mabel Rivera, Celso Bugallo, Clara Segura, Tamar Novas, Francesco Garrido, Joan Dalmau, Jose Maria Pou

Director: Alejandro Amenábar

Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Screenwriter: Mateo Gil, Alejandro Amenábar
Producer: Fernando Bovaira, Alejandro Amenábar
Composer: Alejandro Amenábar
Studio: Fine Line Features

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Reviews for The Sea Inside

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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Superb filmmaking and devastating performances make it a must-see

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/02/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Impressively made drama that is both moving and thought-provoking, thanks to a strong script and a powerful central performance by Javier Bardem.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
02/12/05
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
03/07/05
Independent
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
03/13/05
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This film balances moments of dreamy spirituality with the salty harshness of family disputes.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
12/20/04
Kevin Allison
Kevin Allison
Premiere Magazine

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

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
12/17/04
Ethan Alter
Ethan Alter
TV Guide's Movie Guide

It's very simple and streamlined, and all that's left is Bardem's bid for Oscar glory.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
01/05/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Bardem, who continues to make a good case that he is among a handful of the best screen actors alive, is totally transformed.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
12/16/04
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday

a vanity project that, from top to bottom, proves unequal to the task of unlocking the existential truths at the heart of Ramón Sampedro’s story

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
12/14/04
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Filmcritic.com

Bardem is not only immensely powerful in the role, he goes against our expectations at almost every turn, and subtly, skillfully generates much more than the usual sympathy and interest we automatically give a massively afflicted character.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
02/03/05
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Alejandro Amenabar offers one of the most powerful and memorable films of the year.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
02/14/05
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

Built around Bardem's immobile presence, the film can't help but seem stolidly monumental even as it explores issues that are heart-wrenchingly personal.

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
03/04/05
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

A film both poetic and profound.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
11/13/04
Ray Bennett
Ray Bennett
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Amenábar maintains a low-key approach that preserves the film's emotional integrity while still making a powerful statement.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
12/13/04
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Based on a true story, the movie has abundant humor and uplift -- but it's a heartbreaker of extraordinary dimension.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
12/17/04
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News

The Sea Inside is an inspiring, positively mesmerizing film. Javier Bardem, radiates within his character providing one of film's most powerful performances to date.

Full Review Source: Blunt Review | comment Comment
12/08/04
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Blunt Review

A magical film about many forms of love and about the energy of life.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/21/05
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

The subject of euthanasia is not likely to be better addressed or more cinematically presented. It's enough to make you feel guilty about the film's entertainment values.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
10/20/04
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for The Sea Inside

July 11, 2006: Natalie Portman Will Do Naked in Next Film
This one's for all you Portman pervs out there -- the erstwhile Queen Amidala is set to go fully nude in her upcoming pic "Goya's Ghosts," in which she plays the... More...

February 17, 2006: Newell & Bardem Come Down with "Cholera"
International acting stud Javier Bardem and well-rounded movie director Mike Newell are about to bring the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Love in the Time of Cholera" to the... More...

December 16, 2005: London Movie Critics Present Their '05 Nominations
Movie City News shares with us a press release from the London Film Critics Group in which their various nominations are announced. Keep in mind that the Brit crits use their... More...

April 20, 2005: Bardem & Portman to Discover "Goya's Ghosts"
Javier Bardem ("Before Night Falls") and Natalie Portman ("Closer") are in final talks to star in the bio-pic "Goya's Ghosts," says Variety. The... More...

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