Luciana
20th February 2005, 01:13 PM
It was nominated for the Oscar on the Foreign Film and Best Make-up categories. The movie won many awards in Europe. It is a shame that actor Javier Bardem hasn’t been nominated for the Oscar, but then we know the Oscars aren’t serious anyway.
Alejandro Amenábar was the director “The Others” (with Nicole Kidman), “Abre los Ojos”, the movie that inspired “Vanilla Sky” and “La lengua de las mariposas”. My favorite is the latter – if you have a chance, watch it.
It is the true story of Jamon Sampredro, a man who had been a quadriplegic for 28 years, and who is fighting in the Spanish courts for the right for euthanasia. He hires a lawyer, herself a sufferer of a degenerative disease, to help him accomplish that.
Jamon’s conversation with a priest is rather humorous, and from an atheist’s point of view, is priceless. The Catholic Church is nothing short of mocked throughout the movie. It is shown as insensitive, judgmental and inflexible. It is also very moving when, by the end, Jamon’s friend asks him to send a signal to her after he is dead. He says he doesn’t believe in an afterlife. He is not sure there isn’t afterlife, but he feels there isn’t, and he is happy with this feeling. Another interesting scene is when his lawyer, standing up in court, asks “if we are in a secular country, why a decision should be based on a metaphysical concept?”
The movie is not anti-religion at all, but I found it very empowering for skeptics and atheists. It is a movie about personal choice and respect for the human life. It is such a relief to hear a tale of death that isn’t about religion.
Jamon Sampedro had an active mind. He wrote poetry, liked to design mechanical inventions, listened to debates on the radio, read a lot. He had a loving family, which cared for his every need. He had friends that came visit him, that told stories of their life, made parties for him. He had a good vista from his window. There was even a lady, mother of two, who claimed to love him. Still, he wanted to die. He felt that life was a right, not an obligation, and that, lucid and sane, he had chosen death. His brother wouldn’t conform, and wouldn’t allow suicide in his home. His father once said “worse than having a son die, is to have a son that wants to die”.
But the movie isn’t as depressing as it sounds. There are many funny and light-hearted moments, and you won’t leave the theater with a weight in your shoulders. Actually, it is very likely you’ll cry while at it, but leave the feelings there. I can’t remember the last time I cried in a movie, and I particularly dislike tear-jerking movies, the kind that is built to make you cry, but this one makes it feel easy and natural. My tears came on the happy moments, not in the sad ones.
Unfortunately, it has to be said that the movie could have been bolder. The reality probably wasn’t that pretty – it is likely he wasn’t that loved, didn’t keep that good humor, had financial restraints. I also take issue that in any movie about death always includes the birth of a baby as a counterpoint. It is patronizing and condescending.
All in all, it has to be one of the best movies of 2004, and one that should be watched.
Has anyone seen it already? Please post your impressions!
Alejandro Amenábar was the director “The Others” (with Nicole Kidman), “Abre los Ojos”, the movie that inspired “Vanilla Sky” and “La lengua de las mariposas”. My favorite is the latter – if you have a chance, watch it.
It is the true story of Jamon Sampredro, a man who had been a quadriplegic for 28 years, and who is fighting in the Spanish courts for the right for euthanasia. He hires a lawyer, herself a sufferer of a degenerative disease, to help him accomplish that.
Jamon’s conversation with a priest is rather humorous, and from an atheist’s point of view, is priceless. The Catholic Church is nothing short of mocked throughout the movie. It is shown as insensitive, judgmental and inflexible. It is also very moving when, by the end, Jamon’s friend asks him to send a signal to her after he is dead. He says he doesn’t believe in an afterlife. He is not sure there isn’t afterlife, but he feels there isn’t, and he is happy with this feeling. Another interesting scene is when his lawyer, standing up in court, asks “if we are in a secular country, why a decision should be based on a metaphysical concept?”
The movie is not anti-religion at all, but I found it very empowering for skeptics and atheists. It is a movie about personal choice and respect for the human life. It is such a relief to hear a tale of death that isn’t about religion.
Jamon Sampedro had an active mind. He wrote poetry, liked to design mechanical inventions, listened to debates on the radio, read a lot. He had a loving family, which cared for his every need. He had friends that came visit him, that told stories of their life, made parties for him. He had a good vista from his window. There was even a lady, mother of two, who claimed to love him. Still, he wanted to die. He felt that life was a right, not an obligation, and that, lucid and sane, he had chosen death. His brother wouldn’t conform, and wouldn’t allow suicide in his home. His father once said “worse than having a son die, is to have a son that wants to die”.
But the movie isn’t as depressing as it sounds. There are many funny and light-hearted moments, and you won’t leave the theater with a weight in your shoulders. Actually, it is very likely you’ll cry while at it, but leave the feelings there. I can’t remember the last time I cried in a movie, and I particularly dislike tear-jerking movies, the kind that is built to make you cry, but this one makes it feel easy and natural. My tears came on the happy moments, not in the sad ones.
Unfortunately, it has to be said that the movie could have been bolder. The reality probably wasn’t that pretty – it is likely he wasn’t that loved, didn’t keep that good humor, had financial restraints. I also take issue that in any movie about death always includes the birth of a baby as a counterpoint. It is patronizing and condescending.
All in all, it has to be one of the best movies of 2004, and one that should be watched.
Has anyone seen it already? Please post your impressions!