The Sea Inside review

 Number 249 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2004 Spanish psychological drama 'The Sea Inside.'

The Sea Inside tells the true life story of Ramon Sampredo (Javier Bardem) a man who has been rendered a quadriplegic for the last 28 years. In that time, he has been fighting to be granted the right to euthanise himself.

Films are always a great way to explore taboo subjects and there are few subjects more taboo than euthanasia. The Sea Inside tackled this theme with gravitas and grace. There is a reason it won a whole host of awards both in its native Spain and internationally including the Best International Film Oscar.

Director Alejandro Amenabar, who co-wrote the script with Mateo Gil, tackled the many arguments for and against euthanasia. After 28 years of trying and failing to end his life, Ramon becomes a local celebrity. He has supporters like lawyer Julia (Belen Rueda) and his friend Gene (Clara Segara) who works for an organisation which supports the rights of those who wish to commit euthanasia.

However, he also has his opponents like local radio host Rosa (Lola Duenas) who urges him that life is worth living. This is in contrast to Gene and Julia who insist that the decision whether to live or die should always be Ramon's alone. Despite facing a moralistic minefield, Amenabar and Gil avoided being too preachy in their storytelling.

It helped that they had Javier Bardem in the lead role. He was nominated for a whole host of acting awards including Golden Globes and Critic Choice while also winning the Volpi Cup. Bardem really brought the character of Ramon Sampredo to life imbuing him with a charm and charisma that endeared him to audiences. Barden showed this charisma again only three years later when he won Best Supporting Actor for playing the psychotic hitman Anton Chigurin in No Country for Old Men. Arguably, this was his breakout Hollywood role.

The Sea Inside was a great film that was poignant without being preachy. It also featured a winning performance from Javier Bardem.