Mar adentro (2004/I)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Alejandro Amenábar

Writers:

Alejandro Amenábar (screenplay) and
Mateo Gil (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 September 2004 (Italy)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

The real-life story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 30 year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die.

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Euthanasia | Quadriplegic | Right To Die | Fantasy Sequence

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 59 wins & 30 nominations

Cast

Javier Bardem	...	Ramón Sampedro
Belén Rueda	...	Julia
Lola Dueñas	...	Rosa
Mabel Rivera	...	Manuela
Celso Bugallo	...	José
Clara Segura	...	Gené
Joan Dalmau	...	Joaquín
Alberto Jiménez	...	Germán
Tamar Novas	...	Javi
Francesc Garrido	...	Marc
Josep Maria Pou	...	Padre Francisco (as José María Pou)
Alberto Amarilla	...	Hermano Andrés
Andrea Occhipinti	...	Santiago
Federico Pérez Rey	...	Conductor
Nicolás Fernández Luna	...	Cristian
Raúl Lavisier	...	Samuel
Xosé Manuel Olveira 'Pico'	...	Juez 1
César Cambeiro	...	Juez 2
Xosé Manuel Esperante	...	Periodista 1
Yolanda Muiños	...	Periodista 2
Adolfo Obregón	...	Ejecutivo
José Luis Rodríguez	...	Presentador
Julio Jordán	...	Encuadernador
Juan Manuel Vidal	...	Amigo Ramón
Marta Larralde	...	Muchacha Playa
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jordi Ballester

Directed by
Alejandro Amenábar

Writing credits
Alejandro Amenábar		(screenplay) and
Mateo Gil		(screenplay)

Produced by
Alejandro Amenábar	....	producer
Fernando Bovaira	....	producer
Emiliano Otegui	....	line producer

Original Music by
Alejandro Amenábar

Cinematography by
Javier Aguirresarobe		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Alejandro Amenábar

Casting by
Luis San Narciso		(casting director)

Production Design by
Benjamín Fernández

Art Direction by
Benjamín Fernández

Set Decoration by
Emilio Ardura

Costume Design by
Sonia Grande

Makeup Department
James Allen	....	special makeup assistant
Jo Allen	....	special makeup designer
Mara Collazo	....	hair stylist
Chris Fitzgerald	....	sculptor
Manolo García	....	hair stylist
Ana López Puigcerver	....	makeup artist
David Martí	....	special makeup effects artist
Ana Urosa	....	makeup artist

Production Management
José Antonio García Tapia	....	production manager
Emiliano Otegui	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Larisa Balinge	....	assistant director
José Ramón Otegui	....	second assistant director (as Joserra Otegui)
Walter Prieto	....	assistant director

Art Department
Gonzalo Anso	....	props
Alberto Báez	....	carpenter
Leo Báez	....	construction coordinator
Pedro Calderón	....	painter
Paco Calonge	....	props (as Francisco Calonge)
Manuel Casla	....	carpenter
Carlos Chamorro	....	laborer
Manuel Chamorro	....	carpenter
Salvador Comes	....	painter
Blas Díaz	....	carpenter
Francisco Díaz	....	carpenter
Alejandro Fernández	....	assistant art director
Francisco Fernández	....	carpenter
Antonio Lopez	....	carpenter
Natalia Montes	....	storyboard artist
Rubén Rivas	....	graphic designer
Tino Torrescusa	....	property master
Ana Viana	....	apprentice art director
Juan Ignacio Viñuales	....	props

Sound Department
Susana Benito	....	assistant sound mixer
Ricard Camprodón	....	sound consultant: SDDS
Manuel Cora	....	sound consultant: DTS
Juan Ferro	....	sound editor
Alfonso Raposo	....	sound mixer
Guillermo Solana	....	boom operator
María Steinberg	....	sound editor
María Steinberg	....	sound effects editor
Ricardo Steinberg	....	sound
Ricardo Viñas	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby

Special Effects by
David Campos	....	special effects
Pau Costa	....	special effects supervisor
Giacomo Iovino	....	mold maker
Javier Jal	....	special effects technician
Javier H. Moneo	....	special effects technician
Julio Navarro	....	special effects technician
Raúl Romanillos	....	special effects supervisor
Juan Serrano	....	special effects technician: DDT SFX
Stuart Sewell	....	mold maker

Visual Effects by
Sara Alavés	....	visual effects producer
Nike Alonso	....	visual effects producer
Helmuth Barnert	....	digital compositor
Manuel Barrero	....	digital restoration: Fotofilm Madrid
Félix Bergés	....	visual effects supervisor
Montse Capdevila	....	digital compositor
María Carretero	....	graphic effects artist
Gonzalo Carrión	....	3D infography
Eduardo Díaz	....	digital compositor
Juancho Fernández	....	digital compositor
Segundo Fernández	....	digital compositor
Vincent Gilot	....	motion control operator
Tim Mendler	....	motion control operator
Matías Nieto	....	time lapse photography
Guillermo Orbe	....	digital compositor
Thorsten Rienth	....	digital compositor
Rubén Sanz	....	visual effects producer
Rafa Solorzano	....	visual effects supervisor (as Rafael Solorzano)
Carlos Trijueque	....	digital compositor
El Khadir Palomo Yusef	....	3D operator

Stunts
Guiomar Alonso	....	stunts
Eugenio Jiménez	....	stunts
Miguel Pedregosa	....	stunt coordinator
Álvaro Quiroga	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Miguel Balanzategui	....	combo operator
Ion Barco	....	apprentice camera (as Jon Barco )
Miguel Cano	....	electrician
Gustavo de la Fuente	....	assistant camera
Rafael García Martos	....	gaffer
Raúl García	....	assistant camera
Yosu Inchaustegui	....	Steadicam operator (as Josu Inchaustegui)
Yosu Inchaustegui	....	second assistant camera (as Josu Inchaustegui)
Teresa Isasi	....	still photographer
Carlos Miguel	....	key grip
Juan Ramos	....	Steadicam operator: second unit
Juan Matías Ramos	....	Steadicam operator: second unit
Alberto Sánchez Beltrán	....	electrician (as Alberto Sánchez)
Marcelino San Eugenio	....	electrician
James Swanson	....	aerial director of photography

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Cristina Martínez	....	costume assistant
Cristina Ureña	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Carlos Agulló	....	assistant editor
Paolo Balestrazzi	....	assistant editor
Yolanda Cáceres	....	color timer
Felisa Catalinas	....	negative cutter
Manuela Díaz	....	post-production: Sogecine
Enrique Domínguez	....	assistant editor
Eladio Fernández	....	post-production: Sogecine
Miguel P. Gilaberte	....	digital intermediate colorist

Music Department
Chris Barrett	....	assistant music engineer
Xavier Capellas	....	orchestrator
Nicholas Cervonaro	....	assistant music engineer (as Nick Cervonaro)
José Luis Crespo	....	music mixer
Álvaro Cruz	....	assistant music engineer
Lucio Godoy	....	music producer
Claudio Ianni	....	orchestrator
Brian Masterson	....	music recording engineer
Carlos Núñez	....	soundtrack collaborator
Rubén Suárez	....	assistant music engineer
Gavyn Wright	....	orchestra leader

Other crew
Pablo Alfaro	....	financial director: Sogecine
Francisco Arnoso 'Pixi'	....	production assistant: Galicia
Antonio Bazaga	....	advisor
Yuyi Beringola	....	script supervisor
Beatriz Bodegas	....	legal assistant: Sogecine
Soledad Cebrián	....	accountant: Sogecine
Eduardo Chapero-Jackson	....	production crew: Sogecine
Urko Errazquin	....	marketing: Sogecine
Fernando Esteban	....	legal department: Sogecine
Marian Fernández	....	production assistant
Luis Ferrón	....	production assistant
Mar Francolí	....	location manager: Galicia
Virginia Galvez	....	production assistant: Barcelona (as Virginia Gálvez)
Nuria Garcia Atienza	....	production crew: Sogecine (as Nuria Gª Atienza)
Marga García	....	marketing: Sogecine
Rosa Garcia	....	publicist
Valentín García	....	production assistant: Galicia
Susana Herreras	....	production crew: Sogecine
Lola Liñares	....	production assistant
Javier Martín	....	accountant: Sogecine
José Miguel Mendiola	....	production accountant
César Mendizábal	....	directors apprentice
Eva Muslera	....	production controller: Sogecine
Frédéric North	....	helicopter pilot (as Fred North)
Luc Poullain	....	aerial coordinator
Carmen Rico	....	production secretary
Noelia Romero	....	accountant: Sogecine
Cecilia Rubio	....	legal department: Sogecine
Francisco Sanchez Ortiz	....	marketing: Sogecine (as Francisco Sánchez Ortíz)
Germán Sela	....	marketing: Sogecine
Eva Soto	....	publicist: Sogecine
Guillem Vidal-Folch	....	production apprentice: Barcelona
Daniel M. Villalba	....	second production assistant
Daniel Villagomez	....	credits administrator (uncredited)

Thanks
Ramona Maneiro	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Sogepaq (presents)
• Sociedad General de Cine (SOGECINE) S.A.
• Himenóptero
• Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC) (co-production)
• Eyescreen S.r.l. (co-production)
• Televisión Española (TVE) (collaboration)
• Canal+ (collaboration)
• Televisión de Galicia (TVG) S.A. (collaboration)
• Filmanova (collaboration) (as Filmnova Invest)
• Eurimages (supported by)
• Ministerio de Cultura (supported by)

Distributors

• Sogepaq Distribución (2004) (worldwide) (all media)
• Sogepaq (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Fine Line Features (2004) (USA) (all media) (subtitled)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Central Partnership (2005) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Festive Films (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• SPI International (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• TOBIS Film (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Toho-Towa (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• UGC-Fox Distribution (UFD) (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Lucky Red (2004) (Italy) (all media)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vidéo (2005) (France) (DVD)
• Warner Sogefilms S.A.

Special Effects

• Efe-X

Other Companies

• Aerial Camera Systems  helicopter gyrostabilized camera system
• Air Studios  music recorded at
• Cinetel  electrical equipment
• EPC  camera equipment
• EPC  grip equipment
• El Igloo P.C. S.L.  editing
• Exa S.A.  sound mixing studio
• Falco Ink.  publicity
• Fotosíntesis  still photographies laboratory
• La Coartada  extras casting
• Madrid Film S.A.  film lab
• Red Led  music mixed at
• Tot Models  extras casting

Also Known As:

The Sea Inside (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Mare dentro (Italy)
The Sea Within (Europe: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense depiction of mature thematic material.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

Spain | France | Italy

Language:

Spanish | Catalan | Galician

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital EX | DTS-ES

Certification:

Taiwan:PG-12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:7 | Greece:K-13 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:12A | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:MG6 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Norway:11

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Sogepaq

Trivia:

Nominated by the Spanish Cinematographic Academy, to represent Spain in the 2004 Oscar Awards, Foreign Language film.

Quotes:

Padre Francisco: Freedom without a life is not freedom.
Ramón Sampedro: A life without freedom is not a life.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Echo City

Life is a right, not an obligation

If you go to the cinema to be entertained, amused, so as to fill up your time, do not go out of your way to watch this film.

If you go to the cinema to appreciate the depths of human-kind, the feelings of real people, to explore the characteriology of personalities, if you go to the cinema to absorb magnificent photography, be sure to put this film very high on your list, preferably in first place. The experience is profoundly rewarding, causing the intelligent viewer to make diverse reflexions over the meaning of life itself. With 'Mar Adentro' Alejandro Amenábar has surpassed the best he has done to date, and even redeemed certain deviations in his earlier films which smacked a little of being aimed at Hollywood. This is not the case with this visual poem put to music: Hollywood could never get anywhere near the effect of this tinglingly inspired human - and humane - story.

In no way should one interpret 'Mar Adentro' as an apologia for euthanasia; this story, based on the real life of the Galician fisherman Ramón Sampedro, is a cry from the bottom of the heart for life and love, a reaching out for human compassion, for understanding emotions. Sampedro was an articulate and intelligent man who after a diving accident off the rocks of the Galician coast as a young man was condemned to live the next 27 years in bed. 'Condenado a vivir' (2001) (TV) was the first version of this man's life on which I have already commented. However, Amenábar has succeeded remarkably at portraying this man, with his permanent enigmatic smile and witty sense of humour, in an equally articulate and intelligent way.

And Javier Bardem rose to the occasion, met the challenge head-on, complete with a Galician accent, producing an electrifying, compelling, enthralling performance, such that the actor and the fisherman become fused into being the same person on screen. Here, indeed, is an occasion to doff your cap, and softly mutter 'chapeau'. Bardem is driven on in his task by a magnificent cast, especially Belén Rueda, Lola Dueñas, Mabel Rivera, Celso Bugallo (Los Lunes al Sol) (qv) and Clara Segura, Galician and Catalan accents taking prominent part.

Amenábar produces wonderful dialogues as these six rotate among themselves one-on-one, or in groups, with excellent chemistry, thus demonstrating that this young Chilean-born Spanish director is an artist who knows what he is at and how to get his results; his global concept of the film includes his own music, interspersed with pieces by Beethoven and Puccini on Sampedro's record-player.

Whilst viewing 'Mar Adentro', I found myself a couple of times comparing him and this film with Stephen Daldry and his masterpiece 'The Hours' (qv). I refer to the way in which the dialogues work with tenseness and passion and that careful sense of timing in each scene.

Javier Aguirresarobe's photography is superb as usual. As I have mentioned elsewhere on IMDb, he does not simply film the events and scenes - he captures even the feelings and the atmosphere of the moment, deftly catches that look in the eyes, light and shadows, such that his work behind the camera is at once another player in the story. A superb artist.

'Mar Adentro' is another landmark in the history of Spanish cinematography, among the best five or six works of art produced here in the last 25 years. This film places itself alongside such cinematographic art as 'El Sur' (qv), 'Los Santos Inocentes' (qv), 'El Abuelo' (qv), 'La Lengua de las Mariposas' (qv), 'Las Ratas' (qv), 'A Los Que Aman' (qv), and I think I must add 'Te Doy Mis Ojos' (qv).

Superbly orchestrated story of a real man, and those who loved him around his bedside: not to be missed.