Mar Adentro is a 2004 Spanish film directed by Alejandro Ammen-bar and directed by Javier Bardem, inspired by a true story, the life of Ramon Sampedro, a man who, after being tetraplegic, decides to end his life. Life.
The story of Ramón Sampedro was one of the most popular in Spain, a country where euthanasia is not legal; It’s been 20 years since Ramon Sampedro’s death, and today the law doesn’t include assisted suicide, so this story goes up again.
- Mar Adentro rekindled the flame of controversy and reopened a case that was not yet completely closed.
- As Ramona Maneiro.
- The woman who had helped him die.
- Was acquitted for lack of evidence.
- He then pleaded guilty when the crime had already been prescribed.
- The first film inspired by this story was Condemned to Live (2001).
- But arguably the most recognized and acclaimed was Mar Adentro.
- Awarded the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.
Despite its success, it has also received negative reviews from the press and some groups of tetraplegics who have questioned Sampedro’s attitude towards life, but the film brings us a very real case and the question of the right to a dignified death, the freedom to decide. what Sampedro wanted to have.
In addition to the media and cinematic heritage, Ramon Sampedro has translated his story into two written works: Letters of Hell and When I Fall, the latter published posthumously, all of which has made him an easily recognizable figure of most Spaniards and a figure linked to the struggle for euthanasia.
“They say, sometimes, that when people feel like they’re going to die, they get a movie: everything that’s happened to them, everything that’s marked them forever. This has since been the phrase that defined what was going to happen: forever. . ?? Ramon Sampedro?
Ramón Sampedro was born in Galicia in 1943, worked as a merchant sailor until at the age of 25 he suffered an accident that would leave him lying in bed for the rest of his life, knowing that he could never move again, that his life would. Always relying on the care of others, Ramón Sampedro made the decision to die and wanted to do so in a dignified manner, so he became the first Spaniard to seek assisted suicide. This turned his case into a source of controversy and a fight in Court.
When she saw that her wish was not going to be fulfilled under the law, she decided to do so in secret and, for that, she had the help of her friend Ramona Maneiro because, because of her status as a tetraplegic, Ramon could not. do it for yourself.
Ramon recorded a video while taking a glass of water with potassium cyanide in which he explained why he thought he deserved to die with dignity, and how he did this action, he also explained that they were not looking for the culprits. of the plan and the people who collaborated with it only offered their hands.
In the film we see some discrepancies about Ramon’s decision: on the one hand, we have the different members of his family, who oppose death, his brother thinks they want what is best for Ramon and that it is best not to die. on the other hand, we find characters who sympathize with Ramon, among them Julia, a lawyer, and Rosa, a neighbor who at first seems to oppose it, but who will eventually help Ramon.
Rosa’s character will be crucial, inspired in part by Ramona Maneiro and will be in charge of helping Ramon, at first she approaches him after watching him on television and thinks it can help him regain the desire to live, however, eventually you will fall. in love with him and realize that he must accept his decision.
Julia, for her part, will take the matter to court. Unlike Rosa, she understands Ramon from the beginning, as she also suffers from a degenerative disease and is thinking about the possibility of suicide.
Why did Ramon Sampedro want to die, why did he say his life wasn’t worth it?A multitude of groups reacted to their statements by ensuring that a tetraplegic person can be happy, live with dignity.
One of the most critical moments in this regard is when a tetraplegic priest searches for Ramon; Both begin a discussion on ethical, moral and religious issues. The priest insists that life is God’s and that living is not just running or moving arms, that you can live in a wheelchair in the most dignified way possible. he did not accept or understand this position, he simply did not want to live, he did not want to continue fighting or accept the wheelchair, he preferred to die in peace.
All this leads us to think that in the face of this problem there is no correct or correct posture. It is no better option to choose whether to live or die, they are simply personal and individual decisions, in which we should not intervene. It certainly seems absurd to force someone to die or convince them to die, but why force someone to live?
The truth is that euthanasia is a delicate subject, because in addition to personal decisions other factors influence, such as culture, religion, grief of family members and loved ones, etc. someone wants to die is even more complicated.
For Ramón Sampedro life was an obligation, his disability was hell for him, and instead of trying to regain the desire to live, he decided to fight to die, die with dignity and that no one had legal problems after his death. Inside, we are witnessing this legal battle that continues to this day.
In some countries, such as Belgium, the Netherlands and some states in the United States, euthanasia is something legal that has adapted to normal health, and more and more people are claiming this type of death. is that it has always existed and that cases like Ramón Sampedro’s are not so strange, but they have always remained in the shadows and have resulted in death behind the law.
The media of the case, the video of his death, the appearance of the film Mar Adentro, etc. , led to the opening of a debate in Spain; a debate that, as we have seen, faces a myriad of attitudes, however, this confrontation leads no one anywhere, because the truth is that if someone is convinced of their decision, they will do everything they can to make it a reality.
It is normal for family members to be the main ones affected and to refuse, at first, to accept that a loved one wants to die, the truth is that, in these cases, understanding, affection and even psychological support from family members can be fundamental this path to acceptance.
We can’t judge anyone by their decisions or actions, nor can we force anyone to change their minds, which is fair?There’s probably nothing good, just respect for one decision. In the end, love and understanding will be stronger than any personal idea.
“A life that denies freedom is not life” at sea?