Movie Review

Directed by Alejandro Amenabar, starring: Javier Bardem (Ramon), Mable Rivera (Manuela), Clara Segura (Gene), Belen Rueda (Julia), Lola Duenas (Rosa), Celso Bugallo (Jose), Fine Line Films, Spanish with English subtitles, 125 minutes, 2004.

In the wars between the Culture of Death and the Culture if Life fought in excruciating detail on our television screens this is a timely and thought provoking movie. It is based on the true story of Ramon Sampedro and his efforts to convince the Spanish courts of his right to die.

Ramon was a sailor who traveled the world and loved the life at sea. As a young man he had a diving accident and nearly died when he landed in some rocks close to his home. He revisits the sea in his imagination for he has been confined to bed in his brother Jose's house for 28 years. His compassionate sister-in-law, Manuela, has cared for him in their farmhouse in Galicia.

He has decided that he has had enough and wants to claim the right to die. ("Life is a right but not an obligation") He enlists the help of Gene a right to die organizer who has contacted Julia to gather material for a court case. Julia, herself lives with the debilitating effect of a series of strokes. Ramon has an elaborate computer set up and she discovers that he has written poetry exploring his feelings of anger, shame and humiliation.

Two characters enter Ramon's life to try convincing him to live. The first is Rosa a factory worker who works part time as a disk jockey. She is hopeful and full of life and falls in love with Ramon. The second is a priest, himself paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair who comes to the farm house after a much publicized TV interview. Alas, his chair is too big to get up the stairs in the old farmhouse and they end up shouting at one another up and down the stairs with messages conveyed by a young priest assistant. It is a farcical and somewhat tragic scene as the church's "official position" is delivered at the top of the priest's angry voice only to be shouted down unheard by Ramon. The church is discredited by such a spokesperson and the scene contains all the elements of the dialogue of the deaf that characterizes the debate on this crucial issue.

The court case is unsuccessful but Julia has arranged to have Ramon's poetry published. They agree that she will contact him with the first copy in hand and then assist him in his quest for death. She never does and it is Rosa in the end that, though opposed, yet out of love and desiring for Ramon what he desires, helps him. We learn that Julia has had another stroke and lost all memory of this great love that she had, mostly in fantasy, for Ramon.

Ramon is a large and compelling person and arouses deep feelings of love in all those around regardless of what they think of his plan. Especially conflicted are his brother and nephew. The closing scenes show that true love can find its way even in the most extreme circumstances. This drama covers the many ethical positions in the heated debate around euthanasia whether one advocates voluntary (passive) or active euthanasia; the use of living wills or advance directives or one believes that it is only God who can choose the time.