The Sea Inside (2004)

I was going on the other day about "feel-bad" films and although some might be tempted to put this Spanish Academy Award winner in that category, it is really very life-affirming despite its serious subject matter.  It is based on the true story of Ramon Sampedro who spent 28-plus years as a quadriplegic, much of it spent petitioning the government for the right to end his life; eventually he convinced ten friends (so that no one person could be prosecuted) to assist him in drinking cyanide and his death was videoed and shown on Spanish TV.  What makes this film so powerful is the towering performance of Javier Bardem in the lead, an actor often associated with  macho and muscular performances.  Here with all bodily movement limited, he expresses everything with his eyes and his words.  Despite being frustrated by his inability to enjoy life to the full, he seems bursting with life, hope, and talent, and it is understandable why the many women in his world can not bear the thought of losing him.  These include his sister-in-law who tends him, a young vibrant woman from the Die with Dignity campaign, a married lawyer with whom there is a mutual attraction and who is herself suffering from a wasting disease, and a single mother of two who has been abused by men -- remarkable and believable performances one and all.  While one can join them in bemoaning his loss, one must also respect the individual's determination to live or lose his life by his own criteria.  An incredibly moving film!