Out To Sea

In Sea Inside we see the story of Ramón Sampedro, who has been bedridden for nearly thirty years. He depends on his family for everything since an accident left him a paraplegic. Since then, realizing that his condition will never improve, he struggles to die with dignity.

In addition to his family, Ramón has the help of Julia, a lawyer who supports his cause, and on the other hand, Rosa, a neighbor who tries to convince him that dying is not an alternative, that life can still have many pleasant surprises in store for him. . Thus, Ramón’s determination to achieve his goal will put the strength and affection of those around him to the test.

In this drama by Alejandro Amenábar and magnificently performed by Javier Bardém, he tells us the real story of Ramón Sampedro. This sailor and writer, who suffered from tetraplegia since the age of 25,  claimed his right to die since the conditions in which he found himself did not allow him to lead a full and dignified life. Thanks to his struggle and the impact he had on the media, Ramón was a pioneer in opening the debate on euthanasia in Spain.

Death

Death is the central axis of this film, as well as an elemental factor of life. It is the end of it, where existence ends. There is no life without death, and vice versa. So … why is it so hard for us to think about her? And, above all, why are we so afraid to face it?

Since we are born humans do nothing but learn and know. We do not conceive that our mind stops working, that we stop feeling completely. We are not able to imagine a total disconnection. For this reason, in the face of death itself, or the desire to anticipate it, two perspectives are usually generated, represented in Mar Adentro by Rosa and Julia.

Life

Rosa tries to convince Ramón to discard the option of euthanasia. According to her, life can still bring you a lot of gratitude, which is still worth it.

This positivist vision of Rosa is based on resilience, optimism, and humor. Thus, many people do not understand that it can be desired or allowed to die, because they consider that we must adapt to problems and face them. Despite the negative, we should maintain hope and a positive vision of the future, de-dramatizing the situation and, in addition, live fully.

Euthanasia

On the contrary, Julia, who is a lawyer and also suffers from a neurodegenerative disease, supports their fight and tries, without success, to be allowed to practice euthanasia. Thus, Sea Inside offers this debate to the viewer.

Euthanasia ( dignified death, by literal translation from ancient Greek) is the voluntary intervention that is carried out to accelerate the death of a terminal patient with the aim of saving suffering and pain. Currently, euthanasia or assisted suicide are not legal worldwide. At the moment, only in Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Colombia, Canada and some states of the United States and Australia. In addition, recently, Spain has begun the procedures to implement the law that decriminalizes it.

Those who support this practice consider that the person has the capacity to decide if they want to continue with their own life. Those who request this intervention are people who are conscious, in sound mind, but who cannot bear to live any longer in painful conditions or with an inability to be autonomous. Therefore, the right to live and die with dignity is protected.

In the euthanasia debate, moral principles are often raised about whether protecting a person’s life does not weigh more. But generally, these arguments are raised from a privileged point of view, from those who have a healthy life and quality of life. Can you say the same from knowing that your person will be disabled in life?

Love

The sea is definitely a love story. Love of life, to be able to live it fully and freely, love of others. Thus, curiously, it is Rosa who, as an act of love, helps Ramón to achieve his goal, rethinking all his principles and way of seeing the world.

Therefore, the best way to prepare for the end of life, if we really do prepare, is to accept death as a natural episode of life.  We must not forget that the grim reaper is an intrinsic and inseparable part of our life journey, and that situations can determine the thoughts we have towards it.

Each one faces this trance as best he can. It is plausible that before it we feel uncertainty and fear,  so if we are able to be frank with ourselves and adopt death as part of our essence, all our fears will disappear for the most part.